ILOILO City – “We want to be sure that 100 percent of our personnel are free from illegal drugs.”
Setting this goal, Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, director of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), ordered 687 personnel in Camp Delgado to undergo a drug test yesterday.
“I want to ensure that our uniformed and non-uniformed personnel are following the policies and values set forth by the Philippine National Police and the government in general,” said Bulalacao.
The personnel were made to submit urine samples to the PRO-6’s crime laboratory, said Superintendent Joem Malong, regional police office spokesperson.
It was unclear as of this writing when the results would be released.
Malong said those who fail the drug test face sanctions, the worst of which is dismissal from the police service.
“Through this mandatory drug test we want to restore public trust in us. We want to uphold the integrity of the police,” said Malong.
The PRO-6 internal cleansing would be continuous, stressed Bulalacao.
The director previously said policemen who were into illegal drugs would be subjected to antidrug operations, too.
Information reached PRO-6’s Regional Drug Enforcement Unit (RDEU) that at least 10 policemen in Western Visayas were involved in illegal drugs.
They would be investigated, said Bulalacao.
“We do not tolerate police personnel engaged in illegal drugs and other illegal activities. We are cleansing the police organization. The guilty deserves dismissal from the service,” said Bulalacao.
Organizational discipline is one of Bulalacao’s major thrusts. He had opened two hotline numbers – 09989673651 and 09985629523 – to receive complaints against policemen.
“These are my personal numbers and I will be the one to read all messages and entertain calls,” he said. “This is the chance of the public to report policemen involved in corruption and other unlawful activities.”/PN
