A VOLUNTARY – and not mandatory – drug test will be needed in the country’s fight against the threat of illegal drugs.
Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla stressed this after undergoing a voluntary drug test at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Quezon City Wednesday morning.
“Itong ginagawa po natin ay padugtong ito noong kampanya ng ating dating Pangulo sa war on drugs (What we are doing today is part of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs),” Padilla said after giving a urine sample to the PDEA.
“Mainam po na ang parte nating mga sibilyan, tulungan natin ang awtoridad, na huwag sila dagdagan pa ng palaisipan (On the part of civilians, we must help the authorities, who are already busy going after drug dealers),” he added.
Earlier, Padilla noted it is better to have a voluntary drug test instead of a mandatory one, which he said may violate human rights.
For his part, PDEA director-general Wilkins Villanueva said the PDEA’s drug test can detect all dangerous drugs declared by the United Nations.
Villanueva added the PDEA is open to civilians, including actors, to undergo drug tests.
Meanwhile, Padilla reiterated his support for the PDEA in its war on drugs, and called on fellow civilians to do the same, saying the drug menace is comparable to terrorism, only it is from within our homes.
“Itong war on drugs mas matindi sa terrorism. Ito (banta ng droga) nasa loob ng mga bahay natin. Kaya ako ay nakikiisa (This war on drugs is worse than terrorism in the sense that it may be in our homes. That is why I am all for the war against drugs),” aniya.
