QC residents want house-to-house drug testing halted

A police officer conducts a survey of occupants of houses in Payatas area, Quezon City as part of the police’s massive anti-drug clearing operation. INQUIRER / Grig Montegrande

Residents from two Quezon City barangays have asked a court to stop the house-to-house drug tests and surveys being conducted by the police in their communities.

Represented by lawyers from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, 39 residents from Barangay Payatas and Barangay South Triangle filed a petition for prohibition and preliminary injunction on top of a temporary restraining order before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Wednesday.

Among the respondents were Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa; National Capital Region Police Office Director Oscar Albayalde; Quezon City Police District director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar; Supt. Lito Patay of the Batasan police station and Supt. Pedro Sanchez of the Kamuning police station. —Jhesset Eñano