238 cops, 3 NUPs undergo surprise drug test

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – A total of 238 policemen and three non-uniformed personnel (NUP) here and in Negros Occidental underwent a surprise drug test yesterday.

Fifty-five personnel were from the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), and 98 cops, including three NUPs were from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo).

Later, 58 officers of Himamaylan City Police Station and 30 from San Enrique Municipal Police Station were added to Nocppo list.

They all submitted their urine samples during the test conducted by the Provincial Crime Laboratory at their respective headquarters here.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Pico, BCPO public information officer, said the drug test was simultaneously done nationwide on orders of the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame.

For his part, Police Major Edison Garcia, Nocppo public information officer, said the test was made to sustain reformation, internal cleansing, and proactive and smart policing among the policemen in the province in line with the programs of Police Regional Office (PRO)-6.

Garcia added that it is also a way to maintain discipline and to ensure that no policeman is involved in illegal drugs here.