New BJMP chief welcomes officials with surprise drug test  

MANILA, Philippines – Top officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology were subjected to a surprise drug test on Thursday, as ordered by  newly – designated BJMP officer-in-charge Jail Chief Supt. Allan Iral on his first day in office.

23 key officers of the BJMP national headquarters, 18 regional directors, and 20 other staff members took the drug test, the agency’s spokesperson, Chief Inspector Xavier Solda, told INQUIRER.net.

The drug test coincides with the first quarter management conference of the BJMP at the national headquarters in Quezon City.

“Sabi ng ating mga nakakataas na opisyal sa DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) na suportahan natin ang programa ng ating Presidente. So ang first order of the day ko ay dapat lahat kami magpapa-drug test,” Iral, who assumed his post as officer in charge on Wednesday, told reporters.

(DILG officials said we should support the program of the President. So my first order of the day is for all of us to undergo a drug test.)

READ: Año names Iral as BJMP officer-in-charge

According to Iral, the drug test is aimed at establishing “moral decency”  among its top officials and show their subordinates that they practice what they preach.

“Hindi tayo magsisimula sa baba. Magsisimula tayo sa taas, para maipakita namin sa mga kasamahan namin sa field na kami bago kami magpa-implement, kailangan malinis muna yung mga nag-i-inplement,” he said.

(We will not start with our subordinates. We will start with the top officials, so that we can show our colleagues in the field that before we make orders, we ourselves are clean.)

He said he will not hesitate to dismiss from the agency those who test positive of drugs.

Iral said the BJMP regional directors will also conduct surprise drug tests in their respective units.

As of this posting, the BJMP has yet to release the results of the drug test. / gsg