MANILA – The government cannot carry out a mandatory drug test among 10-year-old students without legal basis, an opposition senator stressed.
“A law is needed to implement the government’s proposed mandatory drug test for children as young as 10 years old, or those in Grade 4,” Sen. Francis Pangilinan said on Monday.
The Liberal Party president proposed that the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) “shelve this slapdash and panicky plan trained on little children” and go after the drug lords instead.
“We join the critics of the idea, led by the Department of Education, because such move is illegal, a waste of money and resources, and has a prejudiced approach to the problem of illegal drugs,” he said.
Moreover, the proposal is an admission that President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs” is “ineffective,” said Pangilinan.
PDEA spokesman Derrick Carreon said the agency had already proposed amending rules to make drug testing mandatory for all high school and university students, as well as teachers.
He said they also wanted random testing for grade school students aged 10 to 12 years old after some children had been “rescued” from drug dens during police raids outside Manila.
The Education department opposed the plan to have primary school students undergo drug testing, saying it was against the law.
“The Department of Education observed that the proposal of the [PDEA] to test all students age 10 and older may require the amendment of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which authorizes drug testing for secondary and tertiary level students only,” it said in a statement.
Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) head Catalino Cuy said his office would study the proposal to strengthen the drug prevention campaign in schools and issue a policy to ensure its proper implementation if needed.
“Drug prevention programs in schools are already in place,” Cuy said in a statement. “These have proven to be effective in deterring drug use and instilling the importance of leading a healthy and drug-free lifestyle among students.”
Consultations with schools, parents and other members of the DDB, which include the Education department, will be done to ensure rights of students are protected and their safety is guaranteed, said DDB public relations officer Ella Marie Dimaculangan.
Pangilinan estimated that the government would have to shell out P2.8 billion for the drug testing fee of at least 14 million students from Grade 4 to Grade 12. He believes the expenditure could be “another source of corruption.”
“Who will earn from this expensive program?” he asked. “The DepEd said it already has an ongoing drug testing program and a comprehensive drug prevention education program.”
That amount may be used to augment school feeding programs to keep children well-nourished and away from drugs, said Pangilinan.
“The budget could also get them textbooks or schools supplies, or even build additional classrooms,” he added. “It could also help fund the additional salary public school teachers have been demanding for a long time.” (With a report from Reuters/PN)
