About 30 Dumaguete City Hall employees fired after testing positive for illegal drugs

DUMAGUETE CITY — At least 30 employees of this city's local government unit (LGU) were fired after testing positive of illegal drugs, a city official said Wednesday.

Deputy city Administrator and Human Resource Manager Dinno Depositario told GMA News Online in a phone interview that most of those who were fired were casual and job order (JO) employees.

They have not reported for work since their contracts were terminated last March.

A number of those who tested positive were regular employees, but because they enjoy security of tenure, they were subject first to investigation before getting stripped of their posts, Depositario said.

Depositario, however, declined to disclose the exact number of city hall employees fired.

Some of the employees who tested positive told the city administration that they were not necessarily drug addicts.

"Ang uban nila kuno, kas-a lang nigamit. Ang uban niapil sa party unya nadala sa ilang mga amigo ug amiga [Some of them only used drugs once. Others said they only joined a party and were pressured by their peers to take drugs]," the city official said.

The termination occurred following the release of results of a series of massive random drug tests of all 1,785 of the city hall's employees last November, the city government said in a statement.

Former City Local Government Operations Officer Farah Gentuya of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) supervised the said tests.

Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo himself submitted to the drug test and turned out negative, Depositario noted.

"Mayor Remollo has always emphasized his strong commitment to enforce the anti-drugs campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte," the city government's statement added.

While the said employees have been terminated, the city hall is giving them a chance to be rehired if they undergo the LGU's "wellness program," Depositario further told GMA News Online.

The said program will be led by a "wellness office" that Remollo is yet to establish; however, Depositario pointed out that the said "wellness program" is different from a rehabilitation program.

Most of the fired employees availed of the said "optional" program, he added.

"We are not forcing them to enroll in the program. However, if they want their jobs back, they need to go through it," the deputy city administrator said.

"Kami pud sa city hall, dili pud mi ganahan manangtang ug tawo. That's why we are giving them another chance. Pero naa na 'na nila ug ganahan silang mo-avail sa opportunity [We at the city hall don’t want to fire people. That’s why we are giving them another chance. But whether or not they want to avail of the opportunity depends on them]," he added.

For his part, Remollo said in a statement that he has urged the employees who tested positive of drugs to undergo the “wellness program,” so when they are tested “clean” from the use of illegal drugs, “they might be given a chance to return to the service.”

Based on the most recent verified “narco-list” of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), there are no incumbent barangay officials or candidates in the recent barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in Negros Oriental who are allegedly involved in illegal drugs. — BAP, GMA News