Drug tests conducted at 2 Manila schools

The Department of Education (DepEd) has quietly started conducting random drug testing of high school students last week.

Thelma Guerrero-Santos, DepEd Health and Nutrition Center director, revealed that 20 students each from the Manuel L. Quezon High School in Blumentritt, a public school, and the Francisco Villaroman School Foundation in Ermita, a private school, both in Manila, had undergone drug tests.

Santos said that the drug tests went without a hitch, with many of the students selected randomly even enthusiastically submitting themselves to the tests.

"They said that they willingly submit to the tests since they have nothing to hide," Santos said.

Santos noted that the initial difficulty they encountered was that students thought they will have to be injected with syringes similar to the procedure for blood testing.

Santos said that when the students are told that they will only have to submit their urine sample, the students were relieved and willingly complied.

Examination of the 40 urine samples gathered in last week’s testing is currently being undertaken by the DOH.

Santos said that the random drug tests will be initially done in Metro Manila in a total of 17 schools.

With already two schools finished, there are 15 schools remaining, already identified by the composite team of DepEd and Department of Health personnel, to be visited by the DepEd-DOH drug testing group next week. – Rainier Allan Ronda