To ensure that each and every employee of the agency is drug-free, the Department of Health (DOH) – CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) conducted a mandatory drug-testing among its personnel as part of the drug free workplace campaign of the government.
Officials and staff were directed to during the activity which was held from June 9-10 and June 15-17, 2021.
According to Theresa Y. Malubag, Senior Health Program Officer and Regional Outcome Manager for Substance Abuse Prevention Program, a total of 318 personnel submitted themselves for drug testing.
Confirmatory tests of the personnel who undertook the drug testing will be sent back to the regional office by the National Reference Laboratory after confirmation.
“Any official or employee found to be positive from the confirmatory test has 15 days from receipt of notice to challenge the result. Failure to file a challenge within the prescribed period shall make the positive drug test result final. Any government official or employee who tested positive shall also undergo a Drug Dependency Examination, six months counselling and continued drug testing for six months depending on the category such as experimenter, occasional user or chronic user/drug dependent,” Malubag explained.
The activity was conducted pursuant to the mandates provided in the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 and in compliance with the DOH Memorandum No. 2019- 0078 - Guidelines in the Institutionalization of a Drug-Free Workplace Program in the Department of Health and Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circular No. 12 Series of 2017 - Guidelines in the Mandatory Random Drug Test for Public Officials and Employees and for Other Purposes.
OIC-Director Paula Paz M. Sydiongco stated that the conduct of a randomized drug testing is to deter employees from abusing illegal drugs. “By doing so, we can be able to timely and appropriately identify employees who have drug problems and provide them with the necessary interventions they need.”
A “Virtual Training on Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) of
Persons Who Use Drugs (PWUDS)” was also conducted from June 21-25, 2021 and was attended by 68 officials from various local government units and government agencies of the region.
