‘EJK REASONS’: Mayor refuses to name ‘druggie’ job hires

By John Noel E. Herrera

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas expressed concern after some job hires in the City Hall tested positive for illegal drug use, but he will not publicize the names as they might be subjected to extrajudicial killings (EJK).

“Basi i-subject na sila sa extrajudicial killings, ti kay sin-o responsibilidad na?” Treñas said after he was challenged to reveal the names of those who tested positive.

(They might be subjected to extrajudicial killings, and who will be responsible for that?)

Treñas said anyone who is interested in the names of the job hires who flunked the drug test can get the list from City Administrator Melchor Tan.

The mayor also thumbed down proposals to pass an ordinance requiring all City Hall employees, including regular workers, to undergo drug testing “since that is an executive function.”

Treñas also said that they will procure drug test kits so it will be the city government-run Uswag Laboratory that will do the drug tests.

On Tuesday, Sept 6, Treñas revealed through his Facebook page that several job hires of the city government tested positive for illegal drug use.

“It was reported that a number of job hires were positive for the drug tests required by the LGU,” he said.

The mayor also emphasized that “proper actions will be taken” as those who tested positive won’t be rehired.

The city government will also submit the names of those who tested positive to the Philippine National Police.

Treñas required all the job hires and contractual workers to undergo mandatory drug tests while subjecting the regular employees to random drug tests after a former city hall job hire was arrested in a buy-bust operation on Aug 24, 2022 in Pavia, Iloilo.

Meanwhile, based on data from Iloilo City Peace and Order Council (CPOC), 93 out of the 180 barangays in the city were declared drug cleared.

The declaration is made by the PNP, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government after deliberating on the situation of the barangays.

Iloilo CPOC also got a perfect score in the 2021 POC Performance Audit of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Office 6.