Lacson, Sotto undergo voluntary drug tests

Presidential aspirant Senator Panfilo Lacson and his running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, subjected themselves to voluntary drug testing on Monday.

The two were tested at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency office, according to Sotto.

"What we underwent was not the ordinary testing. PDEA uses a multidrug testing kit. It can check all types of illegal drugs encompassing holistic drug test," Sotto told reporters.

"Ordinary testing only checks marijuana and shabu," he added.

Lacson and Sotto subjected themselves to drug test days after President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that a presidential aspirant in the 2022 elections is a cocaine user. He did not identify the aspirant.

Lacson, who is running under Partido Reporma, earlier said he is certain that Duterte was not referring to him.

LOOK: Drug test results of Sen. Ping Lacson and SP Vicente Sotto @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/MS5jfVo1ZF

— ????Anna Felicia (@annafelicia_) November 22, 2021

Results from PDEA showed that the drug tests of the two senators yielded negative results.

Sotto said: "Malinaw naman ang resulta ng aming drug test. NEGATIVE po sa illegal na droga using the Multi Drug One-step immunometric assay method."

He mentioned that when he ran for Senate during the 2016 polls, he also voluntarily took a drug test.

"I firmly believe that leaders of our country should be drug-free. They should lead by example and by conviction. If they cannot do this, then how will the people follow, believe, and obey them? Illegal drugs is a serious issue with or without the election season," Sotto said. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News