Senate President Vicente Sotto III yesterday led over 300 officials and employees of the Senate in subjecting themselves to random drug testing.
While his fellow senators are not obliged to undergo the five-panel drug test, Sotto said “it will be nice, it will be good if the senators will join.”
Sens. Gregorio Honasan, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Bam Aquino, Loren Legarda and Antonio Trillanes IV also took the drug test.
“This is for the credibility (of the institution), to set the example,” said Honasan.
Aquino said that his office was among those chosen randomly to undergo the test and he volunteered to take it.
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Sotto and Honasan also subjected themselves to random drug test in 2016 at the height of the election campaign in Cebu City.
The Senate chief stressed that the conduct of random drug testing was in accordance with Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circular (CSC) 13-2017.
The circular requires all government agencies and offices, including constitutional bodies such as the Senate, to submit a regular report to the Dangerous Drugs Board on the conduct of drug tests and the number of personnel who tested positive, if any.
The departments of the Senate were randomly selected for the random drug test in order to ensure its impartiality as well as to have the element of surprise.
Sotto, however, ordered all members of the Office of the Senate President to undergo the procedure.
“For the first time, the Senate will be using a five-panel test to screen for all types of illegal drugs. This makes this five-panel test a more sensitive and comprehensive drug test compared to the usual two-panel test,” said Sotto.
“We must set the example as the Senate,” he added.
Any officer or employee found positive for use of dangerous drugs could face suspension or termination subject to the Civil Service Law.
The conduct of mandatory random drug testing also serves as a condition for the retention of public officials and employees in government service
Sotto also assured that the results of the test would be held confidential as guaranteed by R.A. 9165.
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