Raffy Tulfo, staff undergo drug testing

Senator Raffy Tulfo on Tuesday led his staff in testing for illegal drugs, following reports of alleged marijuana use by a Senate employee inside the premises of the upper chamber.

In an ambush interview, Tulfo said that if ever someone in his office tests positive for either shabu, marijuana, ecstasy, or cocaine, he or she will be sacked immediately. 

“Kapag merong nag-positive dito sa amin, tatanggalin ko. Kapag ako nag-positive, magre-resign ako,” he emphasized. 

(If anyone of my staff tests positive, s/he will be removed. If I test positive, I will resign.) 

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero earlier said that the Senate plans to conduct a mandatory random drug test for all officials and employees this 20th Congress. 

Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri and 35 members of his staff were the first to undergo a voluntary drug testing on Monday. He encouraged his fellow senators and their staff to do the same to ensure a “drug-free Senate.”

Fellow senator Loren Legarda, meanwhile, has also mandated drug testing for her staff in a bid to ensure that her office “has zero tolerance for illegal drugs and is fully committed to good governance and accountability.”

Legarda’s office said that the drug testing will be conducted in coordination with authorized agencies, in full compliance with civil service and health regulations, which all staff members are mandated to fully comply with. 

Nadia Montenegro, former political affairs officer of Senator Robin Padilla, was named in an incident report by the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) on the alleged marijuana use inside the Senate building. 

Montenegro denied the allegations but the former actress later tendered her resignation to Padilla “effective immediately” for the sake of her mental health and the welfare of her children. — RF, GMA Integrated News