Surprise drug testing for cops from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD)
MANILA — After conducting drug tests among its policemen for the past two weeks, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has named the four policemen who tested positive for illegal drugs.
Senior Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, the QCPD head, identified the cops who tested positive for Methylamphetamine (shabu) as PO2 Marlou Baradi from the District Public Safety Batallion (DPSB), PO2 Cornelio M Sarmiento from the Anonas Police Station, PO1 John Santos from Batasan Police Station and PO1 Porferio Sarigumba from Talipapa Police Station.
He said that they announced the names after a confirmatory test conducted by the PNP Crime Laboratory verified their initial positive results.
Eleazar said the policemen have been placed under restrictive custody of the District Headquarters Support Unit at the QCPD headquarters in Camp Karingal.
As of Tuesday night, Eleazar said they have been disarmed of their service firearms, pending a request for their transfer to the Regional Headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan in Taguig City.
“The NCRPO (National Capital Region Police Office) Director is the disciplinary authority for dismissal proceedings of these personnel,” Eleazar added.
He, however, noted that all four could still contest the findings of the drug test.
A final test will be done on the police officers who decide to challenge the results. The test will be carried out by a third party agreed upon by the PNP and the policeman.
“If they will test positive for that final phase, then they will face administrative cases,” Eleazar said. There is a high possibility that this test will also yield positive results since the same urine samples will be used, according to Eleazar.
Eleazar earlier warned that this will not be the last drug test for QCPD personnel. “The next one will be directed at those policeman we are closely monitoring because of intel information given to us,” he added noting that he had a list of 12 cops he has been evaluating.
Some of the names of the policemen were reported by those who surrendered under Oplan KaPak, a PNP program which aims to encourage drug users to voluntarily surrender to the authorities.
“We listed all the names of the cops reported by the drug users and peddlers who surrendered to the QCPD but we will still verify the information,” Eleazar said adding that he has already warned his men about this when he went around the 12 police stations in the city. SFM