Isko Moreno to undergo voluntary drug tests

Presidential aspirant and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno said on Wednesday that he is ready to undergo drug tests.

In a letter addressed to Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Wilkins Villanueva on Tuesday, Moreno requested to have him tested for illegal drugs.

“In the interest of public service in the highest order, may I please submit myself for immediate drug testing for cocaine, shabu, marijuana, or all other illegal substances,” the Aksyon Demokratiko standard bearer said.

“I shall make myself personally available in your office the soonest possible,” he added.

The Manila mayor underscored that he is willing to submit himself to drug testing, saying that it is a “mater of public interest and a matter of principle.”

“We are willing of course, kung 'yun ang kailangan para mapanatag ang tao. Tama naman 'yung mga tao — 'pag ikaw ay president at ikaw ay drug user, how can you fight against drugs?” Moreno said in a radio interview.

(We are willing of course, if that is what is needed to calm people down. The people are right — if you are president and you are a drug user, how can you fight against drugs?)

Moreno said that he also wanted to prove that he was never involved in drugs during his early years in Tondo, Manila and in the entertainment industry.

“I have never been into drugs, maski solvent o ano pa (even solvent or others). I have nothing to hide,” he added.

Meanwhile, he also announced that the Aksyon Demokratiko national slate will also subject themselves to voluntary drug tests.

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

Former senator and presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. said Tuesday that he took a cocaine test and submitted the negative result to law enforcement agencies.

Senator and presidential aspirant Manny Pacquiao has tested negative twice this year for cocaine and methamphetamine use after taking an anti-dope tests from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), his camp disclosed on Tuesday.

In a speech Thursday night, Duterte warned voters about a presidential aspirant who is using cocaine. He did not name the aspirant.

The Commission on Elections on Friday said substance abuse is not a ground for an election candidate's disqualification. —Richa Noriega/KG, GMA News