By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga 

The Police Regional Office in Western Visayas (PRO-6) issued a dismissal order against a police officer from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) for alleged illegal drug use.

In a radio interview, PRO-6 director, Brigadier General Sydney Villaflor, said the sacked police personnel refused to undergo re-confirmatory drug tests, and admitted to using illegal drugs. 

Villaflor said the cop, together with another police officer who tested positive for illegal drugs, were dismissed from the service.

According to Villaflor, if police personnel test positive, they will be provided with a copy of the results, and have 15 days if they wish to contest them.

The same specimen will also be submitted to a drug testing center accredited by the Department of Health.

Once proven positive, they could be dismissed from the service, and not just suspension or demotion.

In July, 5,694 police officers under PRO-6 underwent drug testing as part of their internal cleansing program.

Two police officers, one of whom was assigned under NOCPPO, have tested positive for illegal drug use.

In September of this year, three members of PRO-6 tested positive for illegal drug use after a series of random drug tests conducted by the regional police headquarters.

“Out of the more than 13,000 organic PNP members of PRO-6, three were positive. They constitute .000226 percent,” Villaflor said.

He added that the numbers could be insignificant, but as law enforcers, it is necessary for them to test negative for the illegal substance.

The personnel who underwent drug testing were police commissioned officers, police non-commissioned officers and non-uniformed personnel.

Villaflor said they have reached 100 percent coverage of their organic police personnel./DGB, WDJ