5 Manila traffic men axed over drugs

Just like he promised last month, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada fired five personnel of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) who tested positive for drug use.

In a statement issued on Monday, Estrada identified the five as Randy Luangco, 28; Enrico Dalisay, 39; Rommel Santos, 40; Marcelo Tinao, 39; and John Lennon Dalisay, 27.

“Government work is a serious business. We have no room for drug addicts,” Estrada said, adding: “We have no recourse but to dismiss them. They know the rules: no ifs, no buts. This is a very serious breach of Civil Service rules.”

The five would not get any separation benefits either because they violated their contracts, the statement said.

The five MTPB personnel were among 240 employees who underwent a surprise drug test on April 24 as ordered by the city government.

They were also among the newly hired personnel of the traffic bureau which underwent a total overhaul in 2016 when Estrada fired all 690 employees over extortion allegations. Only a fourth were rehired after careful evaluation of their qualifications.

On Monday morning, Estrada addressed the city’s traffic enforcers and told them that they would be monitored closely.

“Keep in mind that everything you do will be reported to me,” he said.

He also reminded them that the performance of the traffic bureau, whether good or bad, would reflect on his office. —WITH A REPORT FROM ROSELLE ANNE SALES