CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – About a hundred public bus drivers were cleared of drug use following the surprise drug testing by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) 10 (Northern Mindanao) on Monday.
PDEA-10 information officer Rose Bajao said Tuesday they received the results Monday evening, a few hours after they conducted the random drug test at the Bulua and Agora bus terminals.
“Negative tanan (They were all negative),” Bajao said.
PDEA-10 Director Wilkins Villanueva said the mandatory drug test was part of the multi-agency initiative to ensure the safety of commuters traveling during “Undas”.
Partnering with PDEA in the implementation of “Oplan Undaspot 2018” are the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Villanueva said PDEA’s role in “Oplan Undas 2018” is to ensure that there is are no illegal drugs inside buses and that bus drivers are not taking illegal substances during their trips.
“Oplan Undas 2018” runs from Oct. 29 to November 5. The government has declared Nov. 1 and 2, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, respectively, as non-working holidays.
Villanueva said that based on statistics, most drivers involved in road accidents were under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.
“For the bus companies, that (drug test) would be part of their drug-free workplace program,” he said.
“What we are doing is a preemptive measure. We will not wait until someone dies before we act. We are doing this so that no lives will be lost,” he added.
LTFRB-10 Director Aminoden Guro said the bus operators were “very cooperative” when the three agencies requested to have their drivers subjected for drug testing.
Guro warned that bus companies that don’t abide by their request for drug testing will be made to explain and may face consequences for their refusal. (Jigger Jerusalem/PNA)
