PDEA calls for regular drug-testing among bus drivers
LEADERS of the transport sector have been urged by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to implement regular drug-testing among bus drivers, particularly those assigned to provincial buses.
PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo Cacdac Jr. said the agency is making the appeal in light of a recent series of arrests of drivers related to drug use and trading.
Two provincial drivers were recently caught sniffing shabu, inside an airconditioned bus in Muntinlupa and two weeks ago, a 49-year-old bus driver plying the Albay-Cubao route was also apprehended by PDEA agents for selling shabu to a poseur-buyer during a buy-bust operation in Tabaco, Albay.
“These incidents proved that there is a prevailing practice of illegal drug use among provincial bus drivers because of the nature of their work. They use dangerous drugs to stay awake, especially those driving the long haul or overnight,” he said.
PDEA is optimistic that the transport sector will cooperate in policing their ranks and encourage their members to submit themselves to drug-testing.
“We will not wait until an accident happens on the road because the man behind the wheel is high on drugs,” Cacdac added.
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