Manila City Mayor Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada ordered mandatory drug testing for all barangay officials in the city.
On Sunday, Estrada said all the barangay officials, from chairmen to councilors, will undergo mandatory drug tests in order to prove if who is using the illegal drugs or not.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier announced that there are 12, 000 barangay officials in this third narco-list, that is why he is in favor to postpone the Barangay and SK elections so that the candidates will not use the drug money.
“Yes, we will do that,” Estrada said about the planned drug tests in Manila City. “From barangay chairmen down to the barangay kagawad, there will be no exemption,” Estrada added.
The chief executive insisted that those who will test positive will be dismissed from the services and be charged with criminal and administrative charges.
“It is a betrayal of public trust. People elected them. Do you think they are worthy of their positions if they’re drug addicts?” he said.
The Manila mayor revealed his plan to subject the barangay officials to mandatory drug tests after the clash between the group of a barangay chairman and policemen during an anti-drugs operation in Quiapo district few days ago.
In the said encounter, seven suspects, including Barangay 648 chairman Faiz Macabato, were killed where police said that they have been monitoring the area as Macabato’s bailiwick on drugs.
Police officials said Macabato was considered a high-value target and has a bounty of P1 million for his arrest but it took long years to penetrate his area.
Estrada said that based on the Executive Order 292 or the Administrative Code of 1987, the government employees who will test positive for drug use can be dismissed from the service.
Last August 18, Estrada, Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna and members of the city council subjected themselves to a drug test at the city hall and all of the results turned out negative.