Personnel of Cosap conduct drug tests on City Hall employees. | Photo courtesy of COSAP
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Four Cebu City Hall employees and another barangay employee have failed the surprise drug test and have proved positive for illegal drug use.
The City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) conducted a series of drug tests since October 27, 2021.
John Jonah Rodriguez, COSAP head, said that these individuals would go through the proper process with the City Legal Office (CLO).
Among the four city hall employees, three are from the City Agriculture Department (CAD), with a regular, a casual, and a job-order employee.
The fourth City Hall employee was a newly hired job-order employee assigned at the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP).
The barangay employee is a loader at Barangay San Jose.
“We will report them to the City Legal Office. Amo pa gipangutana if mostand pa ba ang order ni Mayor Edgardo Labella nga kung found positive ng casual ug job order, diretso na tangtang. Ang City Legal nay moissue sa order ana,” said Rodriguez.
(We will report them to the City Legal Office. We are still asking if Mayor Edgardo Labella’s order that if a casual or job-order employee would be found positive, then they will immediately be fired. The City Legal will issue the order for that.)
As for the regular employee, he or she will be accorded the proper investigation procedure courtesy of the employee’s tenure.
The regular employee will be subjected to a confirmatory test and should this confirmatory test still prove positive for drugs, he or she will face inquiry from the CLO.
The regular employee will be given the option to enroll themselves in a rehabilitation center in Argao town and the city will help in his or her rehabilitation.
Rodriguez said surprise drug tests would continue to be conducted at the City Hall and barangays.
COSAP warned employees, who continue to use drugs that they would be risking their jobs and tenures by continuing to use these illegal substances.
He urged them to surrender to COSAP so their office could help in their rehabilitation.
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