[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’ 2 names in city hall ‘Tokhang’ drop box ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – Two pieces of paper bearing the names of suspected illegal drug users were dropped into a box at the Iloilo City Hall.
Nobody knows what the notes contained – except city hall chief of security Felix Muchada, whom Acting Mayor Jose Espinosa III assigned to monitor the drop box.
The notes were dropped on Friday morning, Muchada said.
He refused to disclose the names. All he said was those named in the notes were not city government employees.
“I will endorse the notes to concerned units, like the Iloilo City Police Office or the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency),” he said.
According to Muchada, Espinosa told them to make sure all city hall employees are aware of the presence of the drop box.
Two announcements about the drop box are made every day – one in the morning, another in the afternoon – Muchada said.
Active participation from the employees is needed to rid city hall of any drug user, he stressed.
The drop box is similar to the ones the Police Regional Office 6 ordered placed in police stations across Western Visayas. Anyone may anonymously drop names of suspected drug personalities that the police will validate.
Any name of a city government worker put in the city hall drop box will be verified, said Muchada.
“If the validation team is convinced nga naga-usar gid man na, immediately, ipa-drug test naton,” he said.
“Anyway, indi man na nga we will punish them,” he clarified. “We will help them nga ma-rehabilitate [para] back to normal ang aton empleyado diri.”
“Pero kung magpasaway pa gid sila kag daw sila pa maisog, we have no other recourse but to file charges against them,” added Muchada.
On Sept. 13, a casual city hall employee was arrested with 11 others in a police antidrug operation in Barangay San Jose, Arevalo district.
Noel Uy, 37, of Barangay General Hughes-Montes, City Proper was a member of the Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force.
Meanwhile, City Administrator Hernando Galvez said employees who will refuse to undergo drug testing despite being a “verified” drug user will be “subjected to administrative proceedings.”
Refusal alone may be deemed “grave misconduct,” which may be penalized with dismissal from the service, said Galvez.
Employees who will test positive, on the other hand, will be referred to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for confirmatory tests.
They may also avail themselves of a “challenge test” – taking another drug test that they themselves will pay for./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
