By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A police officer from Candoni town in Negros Occidental who had tested positive for illegal drugs use in December 2020 has been slapped with an administrative charge.

Police Lt. Abegael Donasco, spokesperson of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO), said of the five cops who had undergone drug testing last year, he was the only one who had tested positive.

Two confirmatory tests were also performed and both yielded positive results.

Donasco said the cop was already relieved from the Candoni Municipal Police Station and he surrendered his service firearm.

The cop, a police corporal, is still on-duty but was reassigned to the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit at the Police Regional Office 6 in Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City.

She said the cop was restricted only at the police camp and is not allowed to go outside.

An additional five-day grace period was also given to the erring cop in order to provide an explanation as to why he had tested positive for illegal drugs.

Donasco added they are still continuing their investigation, and she affirmed that if found guilty, the erring cop could be dismissed from the service./DGB, WDJ