City Hall says drug suspect was active job hire at arrest

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City government confirmed that a man arrested in a drug buy-bust operation in Barangay Zamora-Melliza, City Proper, was an active job hire at City Hall at the time of his arrest on May 27.

The suspect, identified by alias “Dadang,” 47, a resident of the area and a listed high-value individual, was employed as a job hire of the Facility Conservation Office. The operation yielded an estimated PHP 1.6 million worth of suspected shabu.

City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said the City Administrator’s Office conducted a validation that confirmed the individual remained under contract with the local government, prompting an immediate directive for his termination.

The suspect had previously been arrested in a drug-related operation in 2015 but was acquitted and released in 2024.

Treñas-Chu warned that the city government will not tolerate any involvement in illegal drugs among its personnel, regardless of position or employment status.

“Public service requires accountability, discipline, and integrity,” she said.

She said that starting in January, the city government strengthened its hiring requirements for job hires, contract of service, and permanent applicants by requiring a National Police Clearance to help screen applicants’ records.

Before the policy shift, applicants were only required to submit a clearance from the National Bureau of Investigation and undergo drug testing.

“Before we implemented it, the job hire was already hired by the city government. We are open to those who want to change their lives, but it should be clear that if there is involvement in illegal activities, especially illegal drugs, the city government will not tolerate it,” Treñas-Chu said.

The mayor said there is also a need to conduct regular random drug testing across various city offices, in addition to the drug tests already required for job hires.

“The city government has conducted several rounds of random drug testing across its offices because we are serious about this issue,” she said.