“ALARMING” is how Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (Cosap) Head Dr. Alice Utlang described the situation in the barangays after discovering that close to a hundred personnel from 40 barangays in the city tested positive of illegal drug use.
As of March, 92 out of 1,556 personnel tested positive during the separate surprise drug tests administered by Cosap since January.
Of the number, 63 were garbage loaders, six of whom were from Barangay Kasambagan, whose workers and officials recently underwent testing.
Sixteen tanods, 10 drivers, a street cleaner, traffic aide and maintenance worker also tested positive.
“This is alarming because these are government workers. The barangays should do something to ensure that their workplace is drug-free and if they are serious in supporting the president’s and the mayor’s campaign against drugs,” Utlang said.
She explained that since the beginning of the year, they have been administering drug tests to barangay personnel upon the request of the village officials. The schedule, though, was decided alone by Cosap.
So far, only half of the 80 barangays in the city have undergone testing. Barangays Hipodromo and Day-as have not undergone testing since 2014.
Among those that have undergone testing are Barangays Malubog, Bonbon, Inayawan, Basak San Nicolas, Quiot, Cogon Pardo, Sta. Cruz, Pahina Central, Sambag I and II, Talamban, Banilad, Guadalupe, Kinasang-an, Labangon, Tisa, Punta Princesa, Tinago, San Roque, Poblacion Pardo, Tejero and Kasambagan.
Out of these villages, only Barangay Banilad was declared by Cosap as a drug-free workplace.
Utlang challenged the barangay officials to strengthen their efforts in the anti-drug war by terminating the services of their employees found positive of illegal drugs.
She also advised them to encourage the workers to seek intervention, may it be by enrolling themselves in Cosap’s We Care program or by availing themselves of private help.
Reintroduced by Cosap last July, the We Care Program is in coordination with Oplan Tokhang, where drug users and pushers listed in different barangays will be enrolled. It now has 100 enrollees.
“How can they solve the drug problem if they can’t manage their workers? Help should start in the barangay level,” she said.
Utlang also warned those who have yet to request for drug testing to double time or face the charges Cosap will be filing against them before the Department of Interior and Local Government when the City Anti-Drug Abuse Council reconvenes.
Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) President and Tisa Barangay Captain Philip Zafra, for his part, urged his colleagues to be “steadfast in their resolve to cleanse their own ranks from drugs.”
“This is part of our cleansing process in the barangay. Thus, those proven to be positive should be terminated and undergo the rehabilitation and other intervention program. Drugs has, indeed, affected all sectors in society. Thus, we should continue our fight against it until the last drop of our blood,” Zafra told VoxPop Cebu.
Sought for comment, Mayor Tomas Osmeña warned those barangays who fail to rid their areas of drugs that they will be dealt with accordingly.
“All ties to the 40 should and will be severed with the City. I will attempt this first thing Monday (May 1). Including those identified with Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan,” he told VoxPop Cebu in a text message yesterday.
