BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
ILOILO City – A policeman in the municipality of San Lorenzo, Guimaras tested positive for illegal drugs.
He was among those tested randomly on July 21, said Senior Superintendent Ricardo De La Paz, director of the Guimaras Police Provincial Office.
The Police Regional Office 6’s (PRO-6) Crime Laboratory conducted the random drug test.
De La Paz declined to identify the policeman but said he had the rank of Police Officer 3.
The policeman has 15 days to challenge the test result, said De La Paz, otherwise the test result would be considered as prima facie evidence to start a pre-charge investigation and formal summary hearing.
If found guilty, the policeman may be dismissed from the service, said De La Paz.
In last year’s random drug testing, not a single Guimaras policeman tested positive.
The random drug test is part of the Philippine National Police’s efforts to clean it ranks, said De La Paz.
“We are law enforcers. We implement laws especially on illegal drugs but we have to cleanse first our backyard to maintain our integrity,” De La Paz said./PN
