NEGROS Occidental Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson Tuesday, October 24, submitted himself to a drug test that yielded a negative result to debunk the claims of a detained village chief from Bacolod City that he is a drug user.
The drug test report issued by the Department of Health through Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital signed by the hospital’s head of laboratory, Dr. Melanie Rose Zerrudo, Tuesday showed that Lacson is negative of methamphetamine and tetrahydrocannabinol.
Last week, Barangay 35 village chief Manuel “Maui” Huelar Jr., who is detained at Metro Bacolod District Jail-Male Dorm Annex after his arrest almost a year ago for sale and possession of illegal drugs, linked Lacson and Governor Alfredo Marañon and their family members to the illegal drug trade as stated in his affidavit supposedly executed while in prison.
“I think the issue is whether Mr. Huelar can prove I’m a druggie...He has to prove this allegation, but I don’t know how he will,” the vice governor said in an interview on Monday.
He said that Huelar’s statements in his affidavit are “very irresponsible, utterly false, malicious, and made with impunity.”
Lacson added that he will get to the bottom of the accusations made by Huelar against him and that he will check with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency if indeed his name is on their list.
“I want to clear my name from this,” he said.
Marañon had earlier dismissed the allegations of Huelar, saying he was surprised that his name was mentioned by the village chief, whom he has not even met.
The governor added that he is planning to file libel against a local newspaper which published the report without seeking his side, and also against Huelar.
The village chief, who became popular in the ‘90s as a player for the Negros Slashers basketball team, said in his affidavit that he “need(s) to do something” to help the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
“I need to do this in order that no father like me will ever suffer the same fate as I have now, or more persons may become victims of drug abuse due to the accessibility and availability of illegal drugs,” he added.
