Random drug testing to push through in February - DepEd exec

MANILA, Philippines - Despite persistent opposition from the Commission on Human Rights, the controversial nationwide random drug testing among students will push through as scheduled on February 2, a Department of Education (DepEd) official said on Thursday. A radio report quoted Thelma Santos, DepEd assistant secretary for special projects, as saying the first installment of the testing will cover 85,000 students and would run until October. The government would begin its drug testing among high school and college students both from public and private schools in Metro Manila, Davao City and Cebu province. CHR Chairperson Leila de Lima in a radio interview had said she had written the DepEd requesting that the drug testing be temporarily deferred. Santos said they have yet to receive De Lima’s letter, but added that either way the DepEd would still conduct the testing as scheduled because no less than President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III had approved it. Aside from her letter, De Lima also said she is considering bringing up the matter before the Supreme Court, despite the court’s earlier ruling declaring the drug testing done in 2005 as constitutional. De Lima said that in a bid to change the SC justices’ minds, she would be banking on the argument that the human rights of students could possibly be violated by the anti-drug measure. The Dangerous Drugs Board has already issued a clarificatory statement, ensuring that confidentiality of the drug testing and that human rights of the selected students would not be violated. Two stages The random drug testing comes in two stages: an initial drug test and a second “confirmatory" test. During the first stage, the government would spend P25 to P30 for each student in examining their urine samples. Those who would test positive for illegal drugs would move on toward the “confirmatory" stage, wherein their urine samples would be brought to Manila pending further testing. Santos, in an earlier interview, said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City both have the machine required to the test urine samples for the second stage. For the confirmatory testing, the government would spend P100 for each student to buy him or her drug testing kit. Each kit would come complete with chemical solutions, specimen bottles, medical adhesive tapes and other materials needed throughout the drug testing. Santos said the government needs to shell out around P25 million if it were to subject at least 30 students from the country’s 8,000 schools. She said it could also take almost four years to complete testing 250,000 students. Nothing new Santos said it was not the first time that the government would be conducting random drug testing among students. In 2005, the DepEd tried out it out although on a smaller number of students. “Four years ago, we subjected under drug testing 30 students in each of the 17 schools in different regions," Santos said. Education Secretary Jesli Lapus signed the new random drug testing proposal Friday last week. The first installment of the testing would be conducted in February and a second batch during the opening of classes in June. Santos said that the Dangerous Drugs Board - in coordination with the DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical and Vocational Skills Development Authority – has yet to come up with implementing rules and regulations regarding the test. The new guidelines would be patterned to that used in the 2005 random drug test. Prevalence Although the new random drug test would only subject a small four percent of the country’s six to seven million secondary and tertiary students, Santos said the new measure could at least show where the illegal drugs are prevalent. “Nakikita natin ang prevalence sa region so magkakaroon tayo ng intervention doon. We can intensify ang national drug education program and our counseling… Makakakuha na po tayo ng prevalence rate nationwide," she said. [“We would be able to see the prevalence of illegal drugs in certain regions. Through that, we can conduct intervention programs and intensify anti-drug education and counseling. We would be able to establish a nationwide prevalence rate."] Santos assured that the permission of the parents of students who would be randomly chosen would be sought first. She also assured the randomness of the selection process, saying that an “electronic formula" prepared by the DepEd would be used in choosing subjects with the aid of computers. - GMANews.TV