ICPO anti-drug operatives undergo drug test

Police Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Benitez Jr. led anti-illegal drug operatives in undergoing voluntary drug testing at Camp Delgado on Thursday. (Jennifer P. Rendon)

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Walk the talk.

All operatives of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO)’s anti-illegal drug units voluntarily underwent a drug test Thursday morning at the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 headquarters in Camp Martin Delgado, Iloilo City.

The 44 policemen are members of the ICPO City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) and the six police stations’ drug enforcement teams.

Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Benitez Jr., ICPO CDEU and concurrent ICPO City Intelligence Unit (CIU) chief, led the police who had themselves tested.

“We should lead by example. If we want to get rid of illegal drugs, we should start it from our own ranks,” Benitez said.

Benitez assumed the CDEU top post a few days ago, amidst the city’s reinvigorated campaign against illegal drugs.

“This is just one way to cast away doubts on our resolve to bring our anti-illegal drugs campaign to the next level,” he said.

Benitez expects that all ICPO anti-drug operatives would hurdle the test.

The Regional Forensic Unit (RFU) 6 is expected to release the result in a few days.