DepEd’s drug-testing program

THE scheduled random drug-testing of public schools students is long overdue, and should be welcomed by parents. In fact, many students themselves have already indicated support for it because they, more than the parents, are aware that a number of their classmates are either drug-users or peddlers themselves.

As the public fully trusts the judgment of Education Secretary Leonor Briones on how the tests will be implemented, we hope that the province’s public school teachers will ensure that the rules are strictly implemented. A casual leak of the results of the test is enough to ruin precious family relations and the future of the erring student.

Let it be clear to all and sundry that a student found affected by drug-use will not be an occasion to report the student to the police and be considered a drug personality. The project only aims merely to determine how far has drug-use affected the young sector.

At this stage, it would be useful for local DSWD offices also to perform its mandate by collaborating with local police to determine if there are drug personalities in drug watch lists who are in fact 17 years and below so proper measures can be adopted to ensure their safety and immediate rehabilitation.

We have since reported that Grade 6 pupils are already being enticed by drug peddlers to try shabu for P2!

 

Command responsibility

FOR reasons known only to President Duterte, Customs Commissioner Faeldon will remain in his post despite calls for him to resign.

Seeing P6.4-billion worth of shabu slipping out of Customs under the very nose of Faeldon is massively unforgivable—given that the President’s war on drugs has never been this critical. Granting Faeldon had no hand in the heist, command responsibility dictates he should take the rap. To his credit, he owned responsibility early on but this was not enough to convince most that he should get away with it, not even with a mere slap on the wrist.

Next week, Senator Ping Lacson promised to come out with the list of customs officials linked to the “daily 3 p.m. tara” meetings. If Faeldon’s name and or names of his appointees should appear in the ‘tara’ list, he must perforce submit his irrevocable resignation to the President and the people.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments