The Lapu-Lapu City Hall. CDN Digital file photo
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu- The City of Lapu-Lapu Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (CLOSAP) welcomed the recent passage of an ordinance that institutionalizes the implementation of a drug-free workplace here.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Emilio Galaroza Jr., the Chairman of the Committee on Health, mandates the conduct of authorized drug testing in all offices of the Lapu-Lapu City Government, including the 30 barangays.
Galaroza’s ordinance will now be transmitted to the office of Mayor Junard Chan for his signature.
READ: Lapu-Lapu: 2 from city hospital fail drug test, risk termination
“It is about time that the Lapu-Lapu City Government has this piece of legislation. Not only it is timely, it will also reinforce the advocacy that we have been working for, which is to have a drug-free community,” said Garry Lao, CLOSAP’s executive director.
Globally competitive
Lao said that the Mayor Chan wanted their city to be “globally competitive and balanced city, where people are safe, and healthy and have equitable opportunities for success and happiness.”
In order to achieve this vision, they have to have efficient, reliable, productive, punctual, and conscientious public servants.
“It cannot be denied that a hindrance to having a healthy workplace and productive employees is drugs and other illegal substances. This could lead to loss of productivity, poor decision-making skills, tardiness and even being aggressive in the workplace making them a danger to other employees,” Lao said.
Drug-free workplace
READ: CADAC: Lapu-Lapu City’s male dormitory now a drug-free workplace
Lao said that even before the national government declared an all-out war against illegal drugs, the Lapu-Lapu City Government was already waging its own battle against illegal substances to achieve a drug-free workplace.
By doing so, they are also able “to protect the employers, their employees, their properties, and the public they serve from the dangers that narcotics may bring.”
“Dangerous drugs have always been a menace that destroys relationships, families, lives, and the future of those who succumb to it,” he said.