DepEd-7 eyes more random drug testing among teachers amid Dalaguete tutor’s arrest

A 40-year-old senior high school teacher, Roy Osorio Ysao, (left) is arrested by the Dalaguete police in a buy-bust operation on Friday morning, November 29, 2019. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd-7) plans to conduct more random drugs testing among public school teachers after a senior high school teacher was arrested in a buy-bust operation on Friday morning, November 29, 2019 in Barangay Poblacion, Dalaguete town in southern Cebu.

According to Salustiano Jimenez, regional director of DepEd-7, they are now conducting their own investigation on the case of Roy Osorio Ysao, 40, a resident of Sitio Lalin, Barangay Poblacion of the same town.

Dalaguete police said that they had allegedly long heard the name of Ysao from a previously arrested person, who allegedly confessed that he was able to buy the illegal drugs from Ysao.

Read more: Senior high teacher in Dalaguete nabbed for illegal drugs

Jimenez said they would of course file an administrative case against Ysao given that he was a public school teacher but only when they would gather substantial evidence from their investigation that would result to reasonable grounds for a case.

“We are are not tolerating that activity, kung naa man galing na (if it does exist), we will deal with it accordingly,” said Jimenez.

Jimenez said that DepEd would require drug testing even before the teacher applicants would be hired and even coordinated with the Department of Health (DOH) with the occasional drug testing.

He said that they had been on close coordination with the DOH who also had also given them advice whether those teachers who tested positive for use of illegal drugs would be recommended for rehabilitation while others would be placed under investigation for administrative cases.

However, Jimenez said they could not entirely monitor all the teachers and assure that they would not be engage in the trade of illegal drugs.

But with the recent case, Jimenez said they would be coordinating again with the DOH to create a plan on more random drug testing as preventive measures on hiring teachers that would use illegal drugs and to also discourage those in their organization not to engage or to be involved in the illegal drug trade.

“Mao na atoa paningkamotan (We will try our best to address that),” said Jimenez.

Meanwhile, violation on Section 5 and 11 (tradings or selling and possession of illegal drugs) of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, will be filed against Ysao this Monday, December 2, 2019 in the Cebu Provoncial Prosecutor’s office./dbs