12 Mandaue City Hall employees test positive for illegal drugs
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines- At least 12 employees in Mandaue City Hall were confirmed positive for illegal drug use, results of a surprise drug test conducted last January showed.
Damaso Tumulak, head of the Human Resource Management Office, said 10 employees were from the Department of General Services (DGS) while the two others were from the Mandaue City Environment and Natural Resources Office (MCENRO). He said of the 12 positive city hall employees, 11 are job order employees and one was a regular employee.
Results of the confirmatory tests would take about a month before it will be received by the city government.
The results of those who tested positive for illegal drugs during the initial screening will still be subjected to a confirmatory test.
Second chance
Tumulak said for job order employees, their contract will be immediately terminated while the regular employee will undergo due process. He/she will be put under preventive suspension for six months without pay.
All employees regardless of employment status will have to undergo rehabilitation.
Lawyer Jamaal James Calipayan, the city administrator, said those who tested positive will still have a chance to go back to work whether job order or regular employees as long as they are endorsed by the Mandaue City Outpatient Recovery Clinic or private rehab center where they would undergo rehabilitation.
“If mutuo sila sa unsay kinahanglan buhaton kay we have to look at this two ways ba either you look at them as culprits or you look at them as victims gihapon sa kani, either you condemn them wala namoy trabaho, unsa hinuon ila buhaton or give them a spark of hope nga if ever magtinarong mo kuan (undego) mo ani you will have a chance,” said Calipayan noting that this was also in the ordinance passed last 2019.
Tumulak said the city did not fail to remind them that illegal drug use is prohibited.
“Based sa iyang (city) communication plan, napadangat na nato gyud sa level sa mga trabahante whether JO or regular apil pa gale sa barangay, properly communicated gyud na siya nga ang city is really battling for a drug-free workplace,” said Tumulak.
He believed that the city can achieve the drug-free workplace as the city is really allocating a budget and have augmented personnel to manage it and is just a matter of sustaining the effort.
Tumulak added they have yet to receive the results of the confirmatory test of those who tested positive for illegal drug use during the initial screening test conducted last February.
/bmjo
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