614 Cordillera, Bicol cops test negative for drugs
A TOTAL of 614 members of the Cordillera and Bicol police regional offices all tested negative for substance abuse during a random drug testing recently, the Journal Group learned on Friday.
Of the total, 241 were members of the Cordillera Police Regional Office under Brig. Gen. Ronald O. Lee who were ordered to submit their urine specimen during a surprise drug examination last May 17.
“This is part of our ongoing internal cleansing program particularly aimed at ferreting out police personnel into substance abuse. As Philippine National Police Officer-in-Charge (PNP-OIC) Lieutenant General Vicente D. Danao Jr. has said, there is no room for any PNP personnel who are using shabu and marijuana in our organization,” said Brig. Gen. Lee.
Members of the Cordillera Regional Forensic Unit took the urine sample of 143 personnel of the Benguet Provincial Mobile Force Company and 31 members of the Benguet PPO’s Drug Enforcement Unit.
Another 29 members of the Abra PPO also took the same test, followed by 20 from the Mountain Province PPO and 18 from the Apayao PPO.
The Cordillera policemen’s urine specimen tested negative for methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu and marijuana, said Lee.
In the Bicol region, Police Regional Office 5 (PRO5) Director Brig. Gen. Mario A. Reyes said that 353 of his men tested negative for drug use during random testing last May 18. Reyes also tested negative for drugs, just like Brig. Gen. Lee.
“I am truly happy to report that none of our personnel tested positive during the recently conducted random drug test. Rest assured that we shall regularly facilitate the same initiative to ensure that PRO5 is drug-free,” Reyes said.
Reyes was among the 56 PRO5 Police Commissioned Officers who took the test. The others are 304 Police Non-Commissioned Officers and 13 Non-Uniformed Personnel of the Bicol Police.
“The drug test for our personnel shall be done quarterly as part of the PNP Internal Cleansing Program. This is also part of the intensified anti-illegal drugs campaign which do not only aim to cleanse the community from the proliferation of drugs but also the organization itself,” the PRO5 Director said. By Alfred Dalizon
