THE local government of Bukidnon has intensified its anti-narcotics campaign after four of its employees have tested positive for drugs recently.
Bukidnon Governor Jose Maria Zubiri Jr. said four employees were among those who tested positive after a surprise mandatory drug testing on the Provincial Government’s 2,000-plus workers.
Zubiri has not yet disclosed the names of the employees or the departments they were assigned in, but of the four, one is a regular staff, two are contractual, and one is a job-order worker.
Prior to the drug testing last week, Zubiri called for a general meeting with all the provincial staff members but only announced the drug examination on the day of the supposed meeting last week.
He said there were still a thousand workers who have not been tested yet as they were assigned in the province’s government-run hospitals and in various field offices.
Provincial Information Officer Hansel Echavez said the Philippine National Police’s provincial crime laboratory conducted the drug testing.
In a statement, Zubiri said he was glad that out of more than a thousand employees, only four were tested positive for methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as "shabu," and he hoped that all the others will test negative.
He said he will personally talk to those who tested were positive only after the entire provincial workforce had undergone the drug examination.
Zubiri added the mandatory drug testing among the employees was not a new practice of the local government of Bukidnon, since he introduced it two years ago even before President Rodrigo Duterte has launched his anti-drug campaign.
Aside from the drug examination, the Provincial Government has extended help to suspected drug retailers in the province who had come forward and promised to mend their ways.
Livelihood assistance for self-confessed "shabu" pushers
Unlike those who were gunned down for being suspected drug personalities, self-confessed "shabu" pushers in Bukidnon not only got a new lease in life but they also received financial assistance from the Provincial Government.
According to Echavez, 35 of the suspected "shabu" vendors received P25,000 each as livelihood assistance.
So far, the province has released more than P800,000 for the reformed drug personalities, the budget of which was sourced from Zubiri’s P5 million anti-drug fund.
Before they were given the amount, the recipients were screened by the Provincial Government with the help of the National Bureau of Investigation in region-Northern Mindanao who conducted the profiling of these personalities.
Zubiri said it’s up to the beneficiaries what livelihood they want to invest in as long as they will put the money to good use.
A group of drug pushers from the town of Talakag, for instance, poured in more capital for the fish production enterprise.
"The Talakag beneficiaries already have the technical knowledge in fish production since they had been involved in the business before they abandoned it to deal in illegal drugs," Echavez said, adding these former "shabu" retailers will not find it hard to sustain their livelihood since they had been engaged in it prior to drug dealing.
If they want to invest in other enterprises, the Provincial Government departments such as the agriculture and business offices will assist the recipients in the technical aspect of running the business.
One of the beneficiaries, who refused to give out his real name, said he was grateful that Zubiri has given them a second chance.
A former Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) employed in a Riyadh, Saudi Arabia company as an accounting clerk who was promoted as manager for 27 years, “Mac” (not his real name), 50, went home in Dagumbaan, Talakag, in 2011.
Mac said he went into farming but experienced huge losses from crop failure due to El Niño. The situation exacerbated when his wife, a nurse, suffered a stroke.
His misfortunes drained his savings from his OFW days and forced him to sell his house and his business.
After his failure at farming, Mac tried to sell illegal drugs. A cousin from Marawi City convinced him to go into "shabu" retailing.
"At first, I was doing good but later on sales started to decline due to competition. I also started using 'shabu.' Over time my drug consumption increased. I had to sell my car and my other house in Cagayan de Oro just to pay off debts from drug supplier,” Mac said.
With his assets and savings gone, he said it was only a matter of time before he will lose his family. He has three children, two of whom are in college.
“When Digong [referring to Duterte] won as President, I decided to stop using and dealing in shabu,” Mac said.
Last June 27, with the help of the Provincial Government, Mac and six other suspected drug pushers went to the NBI-Northern Mindanao office and pledged not to engage in illegal drugs anymore.
After he stopped using and selling drugs, he said he now felt peaceful.
Mac said his decision to stop his involvement in illegal drugs may have saved his family.
“I want to support the President’s war on drugs, that’s why I stopped,” Mac said.
