- CHERYL G. CRUZ
All personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Western Visayas tested negative in the mandatory drug test (MDT) conducted on them recently.
PDEA 6 acting director Alex Tablate said Monday that the MDT was conducted March 22 at the PDEA RO-6 building in Iloilo City, and “all specimen yielded negative result for the presence of dangerous drugs.”
All agents assigned in Region 6 but presently attending court hearings in other regions were tested in the laboratory testing centers of the agency, said Tablate, who also underwent the MDT.
With the agency’s implementation of the ‘One Strike Policy’, and as provided for under Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, members of PDEA, including drug enforcement officers, admin personnel, technical staff, and job hires are required to be tested for drugs.
“As the lead agency in the campaign against illegal drugs, we observe zero tolerance even of PDEA personnel who will test positive for drug use,” Tablate stressed.
The PDEA 6 also continuously conducts interdiction activities in seaports, airports, and public utility vehicle terminals all over Western Visayas, in line with the intensified campaign against illegal drugs.
Its Negros Occidental personnel conducted a profiling of incoming and outgoing passengers at the Bredco Port, Roll On Roll Off terminal, and at the Simplicio Palanca Port terminal March 24.
Careful observation of arriving and departing passengers from Bredco Port to Dumangas Port, as well as from Bacolod to Iloilo Port, and vice versa, was done to spot for specific behavioral indicators that would be used to identify potential drug courier/s.
None of the passengers exhibited any behavioral red flags that would demand further field interview, the PDEA said.
PDEA Negros Occidental personnel also met with Ilog Mayor John Paul Alvarez recently and discussed the guidelines on the formulation of policies and the full implementation of the drug-free workplace program, updates on the Barangay Drug Clearing (BDC) and Balay Silangan programs, and the upcoming rollout training and enhancement seminar on BDC program to all the barangays in the municipality.
A copy of the BDCP Manual of Operation, which consolidates and integrates all operational guidelines in the nationwide implementation of the BDCP, was also turned over to the Ilog LGU, the PDEA said. | CGC
