Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon (2nd from left) during his visit to Bacolod City on April 25.*PNA photo
Bacolod City officials welcomed on Monday, May 5, the directive of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon to require regular and mandatory drug tests for public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers and other related actions that are part of the stricter nationwide road safety plan.
“(We are supporting it) if that’s the directive from the Department of Transportation (DOTr). For the drug test to be effective, it should be unannounced,” Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said.
Councilor Al Victor Espino, chairperson of the committee on transportation and traffic management, said “it’s about time” to implement a regular and mandatory drug test for PUV drivers.
“The DOTr has a mandate to do it. Thank you to Secretary Dizon for coming up with this,” he said.
Dizon has been instructed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. “to ensure justice is served for the victims of the recent spate of fatal road crashes by fixing the broken system to make Filipinos feel safe on the country’s roads again.”
Along with the mandatory drug test for PUV drivers, the DOTr chief also ordered the reduction of driving hours for public utility bus drivers from six to four hours, strict enforcement of road safety checking for all vehicles, immediate implementation of the speed limiter law, and immediate 90-day suspension of abusive motorists as reported by concerned citizens.
In a statement, the DOTr said Department Order 2025-008 issued Monday “underscores the government’s commitment to implementing a stricter road safety plan nationwide pursuant to the President’s directive to make the country’s roads safe again.”
“PUV drivers, including motorcycle taxi riders, shall be subject to regular mandatory drug testing before employment. The testing cost must be shouldered by the operators and owners of the vehicles,” it said.*PNA