Robin’s office to Palace: Let senators debate on mandatory drug test in gov't

The office of Senator Robin Padilla on Thursday hit back at Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro for questioning his bill seeking annual mandatory drug testing for elected and appointed government officials.

Castro had urged Padilla to study the matter or risk wasting time and government funds, as she believed the current proposal would violate the 1987 Constitution.

She cited a 2008 decision by the Supreme Court in Social Justice Society vs Dangerous Drugs Board that declared unconstitutional the provisions in the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 on mandatory drug testing for all candidates for public office and those facing criminal charges that carry a penalty of at least six years in prison.

The same decision, however, affirmed the validity of a provision mandating random drug tests for students in secondary and tertiary schools, as well as officers and employees of public and private offices.

“With all due respect to Usec. Claire, she should read again the case she cited (Social Justice Society vs Dangerous Drugs Board) and Senate Bill No. 1200 filed by Sen. Robin Padilla. Let the senators debate and decide on this. This is their constitutional mandate,” Padilla’s chief of staff, Atty. Rudolf Philip Jurado, said in a statement.

Castro, in response, maintained that only random drug testing is legitimate and constitutional.

“Kaya [ang] universal drug testing ay labag sa Constitution lalo na sa right to privacy kumpara sa random drug testing. Kung nais nilang ituloy iyan, nasa kanila naman po 'yan. Sinasabi lang po natin kung ano ang jurisprudence patungkol sa universal drug testing,” she said.

(Universal drug testing is against the Constitution, especially the right to privacy, as compared to random drug testing. If they really want to push for that, that's up to them. I’m just stating the jurisprudence regarding universal drug testing.)

Under Padilla's bill, the mandatory drug test would first be conducted via a hair follicle test, followed by a confirmatory urine test.

All elected and appointed officials of the government, government instrumentalities, or government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), whether domestic or overseas, including the President of the Philippines, are covered by the bill. –VBL, GMA Integrated News