Cebu Anti-Drug Body Wants Random Drug Testing for Public Teachers

The Cebu Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Commission (CPADAC) has asked the Department of Education (DepEd) 7 to issue a memorandum for random drug testing among public school teachers.

The request was made after the arrest of two teachers, one from Danao City and the other from Badian, who were found using drugs.

CPADAC executive director Joey Herrera said his office received reports that more teachers are using illegal drugs.

He said he already conferred with DepEd-Cebu Division Superintendent Arden Monisit on random drug testing among teachers after the Danao City teacher was arrested.

He also raised the same matter to DepEd 7 officer-in-charge Marcial Degamo during the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) 7 meeting earlier last month.

Both are amenable to the request, he said.

He said the recent arrest of a teacher in Badian makes it imperative for the education department issue a memorandum for the drug testing among teachers.

“I am just waiting for that (memorandum), and then we will discuss further actions,” he said.

Reynante Aliñabon, teacher-in-charge of the Santicon Elementary School in Badian, was caught in a buy-bust operation Tuesday last week and was later relieved from his post pending the investigation of DepEd.

Last February, Wilfredo Goc-ong, a public school teacher in Compostela town, was also arrested after he was caught sniffing shabu together with a 15-year-old girl and nine other persons. (PNA) FPV/EB/EBP