CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – More than a thousand law enforcers belonging to various anti-drug units in the region have tested negative for illegal substance, the Regional Police Office in Region 10 (PRO-10) said Monday.
Police Supt. Surki Sereñas, PRO-10 spokesperson, said all the police officers from the drug enforcement units (DEUs) in Northern Mindanao were subjected to the surprise drug testing during the First Anti-Illegal Drugs Summit held at the PNP regional headquarters on Friday.
Sereñas said PRO-10 saw it fit to conduct the surprise drug test during the summit, which was conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the region.
He said all policemen subjected to the drug test had tested negative for drug use.
“We are doubly proud and confident that our campaign against illegal drugs is gaining headway,” he said, adding the result “manifested that our internal cleansing program is effective in keeping our ranks, particularly our [DEUs], drug-free.”
“Our drug enforcement units can now walk with pride that on one among them were found positive. This has given them moral ascendancy to enforce the law to the fullest extent,” he added.
Police Supt. Rodolfo Hernandez, PRO-10 intelligence chief, said the random drug test was part “of our continuous campaign to cleanse our rank of misfits and undesirables, particularly our anti-illegal drugs operative.”
For his part, PRO chief Timoteo Pacleb said the drug testing will ensure “that only those personnel whose service reputation are unsullied, those whose record are unblemished and those whose character are beyond suspicion remain in our special unit such as the Drug Enforcement Unit”. (Jigger Jerusalem/PNA)
