Dela Rosa asks if hair follicle test is limited to head hair

FILE PHOTO Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa in the Blue Ribbon inquiry  on February 21, 2023  (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Is the hair follicle test only limited to hair on the head?

Sen. Bato dela Rosa raised this question during the Senate subcommittee on finance’s hearing on the proposed 2025 budget of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

PDEA chief Virgilio Lazo, responding to the senator’s queries, explained that the problem with hair follicle tests is that they become unreliable once hair is cut or shaved.

“Ang problema po sa hair follicle test, kapag ginupit ko na ‘yung buhok ko, wala na — zero na,” said Lazo.

(The problem with the hair follicle test is that once you cut your hair, there’s already no evidence — zero.)

“E ako, kalbo ako — hindi ako qualified mag hair follicle test? (What about me? I am bald. Am I qualified to take a hair follicle test?)” said dela Rosa in jest, to which Lazo answered no.

This then prompted dela Rosa to ask what covers a hair follicle test and if it is only limited to hair on the head.

“’Pag sinabing hair, hair lang talaga sa ulo? Baka pwede ‘yung hair sa ilong. Hair sa genitals,” said dela Rosa.

(When you say hair, is it only the hair on the head? Can we use hair on the nose? Hair in the genital area?)

At this point, Lazo explained that the test is, in fact, not limited to hair on the head.

“Pwede lahat, [pero] paano kung shinave na sir? Kasi once na pinutol mo ‘yung buhok mo, wala ng traces doon,” said Lazo.

(All is allowed, but what if it gets shaved, sir? Because once you cut your hair, there are no longer traces in it.)

Dela Rosa, for his part, proceeded to ask whether or not this type of test is “highly efficient” considering Lazo’s pronouncements.

Lazo, answering dela Rosa’s queries, said most think of it as a reliable test, but he maintained that it is “useless” once hair is shaved.

Later into the hearing, dela Rosa likewise asked if a hair follicle test can still detect if an individual used drugs a long time ago, of which PDEA Director Angela Salvador said: “T]he standard period for the detection of drugs in hair it would vary but the average is really 90 days.”

READ: SC clarifies: No mandatory drug test for judges, judiciary employees