BACOLOD City – The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) confirmed that one employee assigned at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Negros Occidental was among the six airport workers nationwide dismissed after testing positive for illegal drug use.
This comes after a series of random drug tests conducted from February to August this year, covering 1,703 employees across 14 of the 44 airports operated by CAAP.
The five other workers who yielded positive drug test results were from the Butuan Airport (three),General Santos International Airport (one), and Ozamiz Airport (one).
The drug testing, CAAP said, aligns with the Philippine Civil Aviation Regulation on Psychoactive Testing and Reporting, and the Civil Service Commission which requires mandatory drug testing for new government employees and for employees who remain in government service.
Dr. Rolly Bayaban, chief flight surgeon of CAAP’s Office of the Flight Surgeon and Aviation Medicine, stressed that aviation safety heavily relies on the physical and mental fitness of its personnel.
“The Authority continues to prioritize this initiative. The safety and efficiency of aviation operations greatly depend on the physical and mental well-being of all aviation personnel,” Bayaban said.
CAAP reassured the public that it upholds strict monitoring protocols and reinforced accountability among its workforce.
“Every flight within Philippine airspace is supported by a capable, drug-free workforce committed to the highest standards of aviation safety,” it added. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
