Cebu mayor fires 14 staff positive for drugs

Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday served severe notice against illegal drug users at City Hall by firing 14 employees, 10 of whom were found positive in a surprise test, and four who escaped to avoid taking it.

All 14 were contractual workers assigned at the city abattoir.

The 10 found positive in the drug tests were Ropio Llanos, Policronio Delola, Rodolfo Bontia, Ricardo Pulgo, Eduardo Cabras, Ferdinand Labay, Larrydee Alburo, Cesar Navarro, Balbino Mendoza Jr., and John Lim. The four who escaped or did not take the test were Roehl Albao, Roy Balmori, Roque Cabarrubias and Eddie Reyes.

Last month all male abattoir employees were called to City Hall without telling hem why and it was only when they were all gathered that they learned they were to take a drug test.

The mayor’s move came after repeated rumors of rampant drug abuse among abattoir employees.

Of the 10 found positive for drugs in a test undertaken by the police crime laboratory technicians, nine were found to have used shabu and one marijuana.

Osmeña said other employees from other departments will be made to undergo the same tests at undisclosed schedules. The mayor admitted, however, that with the tests he has no illusions of solving the problem but only to minimize it.

"You cannot solve the problem but it is better to look at things to lessen the problem," Osmeña said. He said he ordered the abattoir employees to take the test first because he himself heard reports that some employees there were using drugs. — The Freeman News Service