By Jennifer P. Rendon
The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) subjected its personnel to a random drug test morning of December 20.
Colonel Gilbert Gorero, Iloilo police chief, was among the 189 IPPO headquarters at Camp Sumagaysay in Sta. Barbara town that were subjected to the drug test.
Members of the Regional Crime Laboratory Office 6 conducted Monday morning’s drug test held at the IPPO multi-purpose hall.
Gorero said the activity is part of the PNP Revitalized Internal Cleansing Program, which aims to achieve a highly credible and disciplined police force.
Meanwhile, Gorero said 25 members of the IPPO – Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) who also underwent mandatory drug testing yielded negative results.
Earlier, Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director, vowed a relentless campaign against illegal drugs.
Part of the strategy is the conduct of regular drug testing among policemen “so that I will have peace of mind na ang ating alagad ng batas ang mga pulis sa Western Visayas ay hindi nagkakaroon ng problema sa ilegal na droga.”
All police officers, Miranda said, who will be assigned on the anti-illegal drugs campaign would undergo a proper vetting process to make sure that their integrity is not in any way tainted.
Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, PRO-6 spokesperson, said the drug testing on IPPO-PDEU personnel is part of the vetting process.
Other personnel assigned to different DEUs and station drug enforcement teams (SDETs) will also be subjected to the same test.
Further, in line with the PNP internal cleansing program, Malong said that they would also do targeted drug testing.
By targeted, “those who will be subjected are personnel who are suspected drug users,” she said.
In the past, PRO-6 has imposed dismissal from service on policemen who would turn out positive for illegal drugs use.
