CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama’s results of the drug test he took on Oct. 13 showed he didn’t use illegal drugs.
Dr. Alice Utlang, Cebu City Office on Substance Abuse Prevention chief, presented the laboratory results to the media yesterday after allegations of Rama being a drug addict surfaced in the social media.
Some netizens and former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña accused Rama of using drugs. Osmena’s accusation was posted on his Facebook page last November 25.
Dr. Utlang presented to the media a copy of the laboratory test showing the negative results from the use of shabu and marijuana.
Utlang also said the results of the drug tests on the mayor and the rest of his department heads were negative of methamphetamine (shabu) and tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana).
Utlang also belied Osmeña’s claim that Rama only submitted a urine sample, which filled only half of the container.
On allegations linking the mayor’s loss of weight to drug use, Rama said in another interview that he has been closely watching his diet since his family has a history of diabetes.
“I have already undergone a drug test, and all my results are negative. I’m not doing another drug test to prove to everyone that I’m not into drugs. It’s already enough,” Rama said.
Rama and 40 department heads and assistant department heads took a surprise drug test last Oct. 13.
“We were having a meeting on that day at the eighth floor of City Hall. The vice mayor was even present” Utlang said.
She said that it was really a surprise drug test contrary to what the mayor’s critics claimed.
Utlang said no one influenced her to conduct a drug test on that day.
Osmeña, meanwhile, fired another salvo at Mayor Rama yesterday on his Facebook page. He posted that having been mayor of the city, he has spoken to several people in law enforcement about drugs and that shabu can become undetectable three days after its use.
Therefore “ it’s not a surprise that the drug test is pointless,” said Osmeña on his Facebook post.
Osmeña also asked why the mayor is so defensive about the drug issue.
But Utlang cited the results of the drug tests to belie the drug allegations on Mayor Rama.
“We don’t have to prove (anything) to anyone. The results speak for themselves,” said Utlang.