[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’JUNKIES ON WHEELS New round of drug test for taxi, jeepney drivers pushed ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – Taxi and passenger jeepney drivers should be tested once again for illegal drugs, according to the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
The PRO-6 is reviving today Oplan Drug-Free Drivers that stopped in May after its proponent, then regional police director Chief Superintendent Jose Gentiles, was transferred to another assignment.
“Our current regional police director, Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, sees the importance of this program in the war against illegal drugs, thus it is being revived,” said Superintendent Gilbert Gorero, PRO-6 spokesperson.
The free drug testing will be conducted at Camp Delgado, headquarters of the PRO-6.
“This would also help drivers earn the trust of the riding public,” said Gorero.
When the drug testing was launched November last year, Gentiles cited “the high volume of road accidents – cases of reckless imprudence resulting to damage to property or injury.”
The drug tests would ensure that illegal drugs were not a factor in these accidents, Gentiles told Panay News.
PRO-6 recorded 11,000 road accidents from January to October last year.
Though voluntary, taxi and jeepney operators supported the drug testing. One of transport groups backing it was the Iloilo City Loop Alliance of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association.
Association president Raymundo Parcon had said this was a good way of assuring the public that jeepney drivers were “trustworthy, safe and drug-free.”
Drivers who passed the test were issued identification cards certifying their being drug-free. They were instructed to display these prominently in their vehicles for all the passengers to see.
The IDs had a validity of six months; renewal entailed another drug test.
Those who fail won’t be prosecuted but would be encouraged to under community-based rehabilitation in Camp Delgado.
According to Gorero, this process would still be observed in the revived drug testing.
“Just like before, too, the drivers’ data shall be encoded in the PRO-6 Infotext System as supporter of the anti-illegal drug campaign,” said Gorero.
On the first day of the drug testing Nov. 8 last year, all the 169 jeepney and taxi drivers who came over to Camp Delgado passed the test.
During a visit to the PRO-6 on Aug. 14 for the 116th anniversary of the police service, Philippine National Police director general Ronald Dela Rosa observed, “Mababa ang drug personalities n’yo na nag-surrender or nahuli. Dagdagan nyo pa.”
A total of 1,915 drug personalities have been arrested in Western Visayas since July last year after the launch of Oplan Double Barrel but Dela Rosa was not impressed.
“Step up. We have a lot to do. Double-time,” said Dela Rosa./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
