2 senior high school students caught allegedly using marijuana

Two senior high school students in Manila were turned over to drug enforcement authorities by their teachers for alleged marijuana use, according to a report by Jay Sabale on Unang Balita on Friday.

The two students, aged 18 and 17, were caught by two teachers after being the last to leave a bathroom from where marijuana smoke was wafting out.

According to an affidavit submitted by the teachers to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), one of the students allegedly took something out of his socks and threw it away while they were on their way to the Office of Student Affairs.

One stick of alleged marijuana leaves would later be found among one of the students' things.

The students admitted to their teachers' allegations.

Asked where he got the illegal drug, one of the students said he met the person who sold him marijuana through an online chat.

"Hindi ko po ano (alam) 'yung pangalan pero nag-meet lang po kami," he said.

He added he learned smoking the drug from his friends. "Barkada lang din po," he said.

But an agent from PDEA wished the youths were first brought to school officials and their parents called for a conference.

"Kung mare-resolve nila 'yan du'n sa eskwelahan, sa school level, mas maganda, kasi nga para maprotektahan din 'yung mga bata," said the PDEA agent, who refused to be named.

He did, however, acknowledge the teachers' good intentions.

The 18-year-old will remain under the custody of PDEA, while the 17-year-old will be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Marijuana is illegal in the Philippines, but the House of Representatives in late September approved a bill seeking to legalize and regulate its use for medical purposes. —Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/KG, GMA News