“Clean and clear. Next please.” Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Panfilo Lacson were cleared by the PDEA after they volunteered to be drug tested amid allegations that a presidential candidate is into cocaine. The tests on the tandem yielded negative results.
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III and his running mate Sen. Panfilo Lacson tested negative for illegal substances use.
Sotto and Lacson whore are running for vice president and president, respectively, in the 2022 national elections, on Sunday volunteered to be drug tested for illegal substances amid allegations by President Rodrigo Duterte that a candidate for a top elective position is addicted to cocaine.
The drug laboratory service of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) indicated that Sotto and Lacson were “negative” for the presence of methamphetamine (shabu), MCMA, cocaine and other metabolites.
“Malinaw naman ang resulta ng ating drug test. Tayo po ay NEGATIVE sa illegal na droga,” Sotto said, adding that “this is nothing new to me. When I ran for the Senate during the 2016 elections, I also did a voluntary drug test in Cebu.”
President Duterte has recently warned the public against voting for a national candidate whom he said is a cocaine addict. The President did not name names.
“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.