Cebu City Mayor’s Office undergoes surprise drug test

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella subjects himself to a suprise drug test on November 10, 2020.

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The drug tests continue at the Cebu City Hall and this time, the Office of Mayor Edgardo Labella has been subjected to a surprise drug test on Tuesday, November 10, 2020.

The City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) conducted the surprise drug test on 40 staff and employees of the Mayor’s Office as part of the city’s anti-drug campaign.

COSAP head Jonah John Rodriguez told CDN Digital that even the mayor’s office will not be exempted from the drug test especially since in 2019, one of the staff there failed the drug test.

“Hopefully wala nay mofail sa drug test. Hopefully nakat-on na sila nga mataktak gyod kong malambigit sa illegal nga droga. (Hopefully no one would fail the drug test. Hopefully, they have learned that they will immediately lose their jobs if they engage in illegal drugs),” said Rodriguez.

Mayor Labella, himself, also took the drug test to serve as an example to the rest of the city officials and employees.

He warned the employees especially casual and job-order ones that if they fail the drug test, they will immediately lose their positions. Regular employees on the other hand will go through a legal process because of their tenure.

“When I was still a city councilor, I authored City Ordinance 1829 requiring all employees of the Cebu City Government to undergo mandatory and random drug testing. We must help ensure that those who are involved in public service are physically and mentally healthy so as to perform the job well and maintain public trust,” said Labella.

The mayor warned the employees that the city government will not tolerate the use of illegal drugs in any of its office.

Rodriguez said they will continue to conduct the surprise drug tests in the city government offices and the barangays. So far, eight city hall employees have already failed the tests.

Three of them were from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, three from the Local School Board, one newly oriented employee, and a new one was recorded from the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF).

COSAP urged employees who engage in illegal drugs to come forward before being found out and enroll themselves in the city’s rehabilitation program.

This way, they will have the chance to turn their life around. /rcg