Eight Brgy. Workers Tested Positive for Illegal Drug Use

Eight workers from Barangays Zapatera and Sambag 2 in Cebu City had been found positive when they were subjected to surprise drugtest on Wednesday.

This brought to 87 the number of barangay workers in Cebu City who were found positive for using illegal drugs.

The members of the City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) had already conducted drug tests to all personnel of 24 of the city’s 80 barangays, but four barangays tested negative.

COSAP head Alice Utlang said during the drug test yesterday, five of the employees from Barangay Sambag 2 were found positive of illegal drugs while three in Barangay Zapatera.

Sambag 2 Barangay Captain Carl Stephen Belarmino said the five drug users among his personnel includes a tanod, a barangay environmental officer, a member of the Clean and Green Program, and two volunteer fire fighter and paramedic.

Utlang told MetroCebuNews after the drugtest that a tanod and two garbage loaders in Barangay Zapatera also tested positive of illegal drugs. With this, she encouraged the barangay officials to require any job applicants in their barangays to first undergo a drugtest before hiring them.