Forty employees assigned to the motorpool of the San Carlos City Engineering Department underwent random drug tests on Monday, Mayor Renato Gustilo said on Tuesday, July 18.
Gustilo said they cannot announce if there are employees who test positive for drugs as the results will have to be subjected to confirmatory tests,
The ongoing surprise drugs tests are being conducted to ensure a drug-free workplace as mandated by the Civil Service Commission, he said.
The San Carlos City government has 900 regular employees and 700 to 800 casual and job order workers, he said.
Ana Liza M. Macaraya, San Carlos City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (SCCADAC) secretariat, said they will inform the regular employees through a letter if they test positive and must undergo Drug Dependency Examination (DDE), while job order employees will be discharged automatically from work. However, JO employees will be given the option to submit themselves to the community-based drug rehabilitation program (CBDRP) of the local government to have the chance to return to work, she said.
Regular employees who test positive will be subjected to 6-month counseling or confinement at a rehabilitation center and disciplinary action depending on the result of the DDE under the guidelines of the CSC, she added.*