By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson supported the proposal for barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) election candidates to undergo drug testing.

Lacson said it should not be a problem for candidates to submit themselves for drug tests since it is for free.

Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) spokesperson, Police Captain Judesses Catalogo, said that they are in favor of political aspirants undergoing drug testing as it will have positive effects.

This indicates that he or she also supports the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

The NOCPPO spokesperson added that a barangay or SK official who is not involved in illegal drug activities or not serving as a protector of the illegal substance will serve the public well.

Catalogo said that an interested candidate should not even wait for the authorities to make drug testing mandatory, and that they should take the initiative.

Earlier, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. encouraged candidates for the local polls to submit themselves for drug testing as part of the campaign against illegal drugs.

Atty. Dennis Ausan, director of the Commission on Elections in Western Visayas, said taking drug tests is not a requirement for candidates in the upcoming polls.

A candidate who voluntarily submits himself or herself for drug testing is already beyond the Comelec’s control, he said./DGB, WDJ