DRUG TEST. South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. fills up a form before undergoing a drug test at the provincial hospital in Koronadal City on Tuesday (August 20, 2019). The governor said the move is in line with efforts to make the Capitol a drug-free workplace. (Photo from the Facebook page of the South Cotabato provincial government)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- In a bid to ensure a drug-free workplace, officials and employees of the South Cotabato provincial government underwent mandatory drug tests starting Tuesday.
Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr., who was the first to undergo the drug test at the provincial hospital in Koronadal City, said he ordered the move as part of the continuing cleansing of the local government.
Tamayo was followed by the department heads and other key officials of the provincial government.
The governor said the test aims “to ensure that no provincial government employees are involved in drug use.”
"I made sure that we (officials) will be the ones who will take it first so there’s no reason for our employees not to follow,” he told reporters.
Tamayo said all permanent or regular and job order employees will undergo drug testing within the week. The provincial government, which has more than 1,100 permanent and job order employees, will shoulder the cost of the tests.
He also called on members of the Provincial Board to submit themselves to drug tests.
Tamayo said all job order workers who fail the test or turn out positive of drug use will be dismissed from service immediately. Regular workers who fail, meanwhile, will face appropriate sanctions based on Civil Service rules.
The governor ordered the mandatory drug test for all provincial government employees after 58 inmates at the provincial jail tested positive for drug use during random tests last week.
He said they were determining how the supplies of illegal drugs, especially shabu, managed to enter the facility.
Tamayo said they were not discounting the possibility that some jail guards may be involved in illegal drug activities at the provincial jail.
During the crackdown, joint operatives recovered inside the cells three sachets of suspected shabu, cellphones, and various illegal items. (PNA)
