COTABATO CITY — All aspirants for the forthcoming village and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in this city voluntarily submitted themselves Wednesday for drug test to prove they are not in illegal drug trade.
The candidates, numbering to more than 1,000, gathered at the city hall Wednesday to undergo the drug test upon invitation of Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi.
During the program with local police, military, and the representative from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in attendance, the mayor challenged all the aspirants to submit themselves to drug test.
No one refused and everybody underwent the drug test, although many of them know such testing is not compulsory.
“I am doing this to prove I was never a drug user, pusher or into the illegal drug in any way,” an aspirant for village councilman, who requested anonymity, said.
Zamirah Kasan Kadil, one of the candidates for the SK polls, lauded local officials for posing the challenge.
“Through this drug test, we can be sure all candidates are not into drugs,” she said.
Director Juvenal Azurin of PDEA in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao who has administrative jurisdiction that includes Cotabato City as far as narcotics issues are concerned, has also lauded the mayor and the poll aspirants for the initiative.
“Let us make the city drug free, all of us will benefit from it, especially our children,” Azurin said in a phone interview.
Lawyer Michael Ignes, city election officer, said the move was a very welcome development as far as poll officials and the coming electoral exercises are concerned.
He said the final list of candidates will be known once the Comelec legal division in Manila confirmed the certificates of candidacy filed by more than 1,000 aspirants here for both barangay and SK polls.
In the city’s 37 villages, 19 of the candidates for village chairperson are unopposed while 16 are facing challengers.
Senior Supt. Rolly Octavio, city police director, said with the drug test that turned out to be “negative” for all those who submit themselves for testing was an indication the city is moving in the right direction. (Edwin Fernandez/PNA)
