By Rjay Zuriaga Castor and Jennifer P. Rendon
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas has ordered mandatory drug testing for all job-hire workers at City Hall following the arrest of a city employee in a drug bust.
“I am ordering the requirement of a drug test for all job hires of the city. We will not tolerate any drug use by any city employee,” Treñas said in a statement on Thursday, Sept. 5.
The mayor warned that any job hires found involved in illegal drug activities would be immediately terminated.
“We will not give any protection to any job hire or employee of the city,” he stressed.
Treñas’ directive comes after Chad Vincent Jaruda, 34, a job hire at the City Hall’s Office of the LGBT Affairs, was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Our Lady of Fatima, Jaro district, on Thursday evening.
Police identified Jaruda as a resident of Barangay Ticud, La Paz district.
Acknowledging the unfortunate nature of the incident, Treñas reaffirmed his support for the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) anti-illegal drug campaign.
Four others were also arrested during the operation: Henry Cordova of Caingin, La Paz; Jermiene James Roxas of San Nicolas, La Paz; and a couple, Rey Laurence Laurea and Nikki Vista, both of Alta Tierra, Jaro, who were allegedly planning to buy illegal drugs.
Authorities classified Cordova, Roxas, and Laurea as high-value targets, while Vista and Jaruda were identified as street-level drug personalities.
The operation led to the seizure of 55 grams of suspected shabu with an estimated street value of P374,000. Police also recovered 19 additional sachets of suspected shabu and several non-drug items.
Lieutenant Colonel Rene Obregon, chief of the Iloilo City Police Office – City Drug Enforcement Unit (ICPO-CDEU), said Cordova and Roxas were the primary targets of the operation.
He added that the suspects were not just users but were also involved in drug peddling activities.
Jaruda, who works as a driver for the City Hall’s LGBTQ Affairs Office, faces termination in addition to possible jail time.
In a statement, Treñas emphasized that any city job hire caught in a PNP buy-bust operation will be immediately dismissed.
“Our support for the PNP’s anti-drug campaign will remain strong. It is very unfortunate that this happened, but the PNP has my full support,” the mayor said.
