CEBU CITY – Bus drivers at the South Bus Terminal here were subjected to a surprise drug test on Tuesday, Oct. 29, as authorities geared up for the influx of passengers for “Undas.”
PERSONNEL of the Land Transportation Office-Central Visayas and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas board a passenger bus at the South Bus Terminal in Cebu City to conduct a surprise drug test on bus drivers. (Contributed photo)
The Land Transportation Office-Central Visayas (LTO-7) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas (PDEA-7) boarded each bus that arrived at the terminal to conduct the random test.
Lawyer Froilan Jessie Suarez, operations officer of LTO-7, said the drug test is part of “Oplan: Harabas” which aims to ensure that all bus drivers are not addicted to illegal drugs.
“This is part of LTO's mandate to ensure road safety especially during Undas, which is a travel season. There will be a huge volume of passengers so one way of preventing road crashes is to ensure that drivers are very fit to drive,” said Suarez.
Suarez added that they are targeting at least 50 public utility drivers for testing. Those tested will undergo a confirmatory test.
The driver will be advised to undergo drug rehabilitation and his license will be confiscated if he still tests positive in the confirmatory test.
After the rehabilitation, the LTO-7 will issue a certification to the driver and his license will be returned.