CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government is set to conduct random drug tests in all high schools in the city starting June as classes reopen.
Dr. Alice Utlang, chief of the City Office on Substance Abuse Prevention, said after they conducted the tests on City Hall and barangay employees they will now conduct the tests on students.
According to Utlang, the random drug test in schools is allowed under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
However, she said they need to be cautious in implementing the test following an incident some years ago when a parent filed a case against health authorities after information about their child testing positive for illegal drug was leaked to the public.
"We will treat this with deep confidentiality and we will make sure na tanang requirements sa pag-conduct sa test ma-follow nato," Utlang said.
Utlang said that this time COSAP will spearhead the drug test in Cebu City schools in coordination with the Department of Health.
The COSAP chief said they will first conduct the test on public secondary schools, especially those located in barangays that are identified by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 as drug-infested.
She said that for every school, they will get 10 percent of the students and then subject them to drug testing via urine sample.
According to Utlang, a committee in that school that will coordinate and handle the activity with COSAP and will notify the parents about the drug test to be conducted on their children, which is an important requirement for the testing.
"The parents should be informed and dapat sa mismong school, naa sad ta'y coordination. Dili sad mi mo-conduct if dili musugot ang skwelahan," said Utlang.
The COSAP chief said that they are scheduled to meet again with school heads during the first week of June to disseminate their plans to hold the activity.
"Naka-meet na 'ta nila only about sa activities nila related to drug prevention," she said.
Utlang further said neither the student nor the parents can refuse the test so long as the parents have been informed about it beforehand.
The move has the support of Mae Elaine Bathan, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu City Chapter, who affirmed that random drug tests in school is allowed under RA 9165 and its implementation has actually been decided by the Supreme Court.
Bathan said it is not stipulated in the law that the parent can consent to the test or not.
"Ma-compel ang parents na i-submit ang ilang anak to random drug test. I do support the move considering that the youth, those in the secondary and tertiary levels have a very vital role towards nation-building so we have to make sure that they are drug-free," said Bathan.
She said early intervention can help a student who uses drugs.
Based on drug tests held nationwide in 2010, marijuana is the drug of choice among high school students. — /BRP (FREEMAN)