BJMP execs undergo drug testing

MANILA, Philippines – Top officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) had themselves tested for illegal drugs on Friday.

BJMP director Chief Superintendent Deogracias Tapayan was the first to submit himself to drug testing, followed by 18 regional directors and 23 officials assigned to the bureau’s national headquarters.

“The profession deserves nothing but the best in terms of integrity and professionalism. Personnel who are crooked and involved in any illegal activities should be weeded out of the bureau,” he said.

“To ensure that we have the moral ascendancy over our men, we should not excuse ourselves from the test,” he added. 

Tapayan also said there is a directive by Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento to clean the ranks of the BJMP.

The testing was launched following the dismissal of erring personnel for drug abuse.

Last year, 16 personnel were investigated for drug-related cases. Five of them have been dismissed from the service.

Meanwhile, the BJMP said it is consistent in conducting Operation Greyhound in jails to seize contraband, including illegal drugs.

In the latest statistics provided by the BJMP Directorate for Operations, 50.47 percent or 48,729 of inmates nationwide face charges related to illegal drugs.