Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri announced on Saturday, Aug. 16, that he and his entire staff will undergo mandatory drug testing on Monday.

This, as he outlined a plan that places accountability on record and urged peers to adopt the same standard across the chamber.

Zubiri framed the initiative as a test of institutional dignity and personal responsibility, as he said the Senate must send a clear signal if it expects citizens to respect the law and trust its processes.

“This coming week, I will subject my office to random drug testing. Talagang ipapa-test ko silang lahat (I will really have everybody tested). I will mandatorily ask my staff, to take drug testing, including me. Pati senador, isama natin para wala nang duda (Let's include senators to erase all doubts),” he said in an interview over DWIZ. 

The push follows reports that the Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms had named a senator’s staff in an incident report on alleged marijuana use at the Senate, a case that triggered broader demands for testing and ethics review. 

Zubiri linked the step to a broader push for random testing, echoing a proposal previously raised in the Senate and making the case that any policy worth adopting should apply from staff to senators to remove uncertainty.

“Kung ako (ang masusunod), gagawin ko po ang binanggit ng dating Senate President Sotto na magkaroon ng random drug testing (If I were in charge, I'd do what former Senate President Sotto asked for, which is to have random drug testing),” he said.

Zubiri then pressed colleagues to match the commitment, arguing that uniform action across offices would help rebuild confidence and anchor the chamber’s standards on conduct that fits its role as a lawmaking body.

“I encourage all the other offices, all the other senators, to do the same … Lawmakers should not be lawbreakers,” Zubiri said.

Underscoring that leadership requires going first, he said he is prepared to undergo stricter testing methods to erase doubt and to set the tone inside his workplace.

“Kaya kailangan magdrug test kami lahat, pero follow the leader. Kaya dapat, mauna po ako. And willing din po akong mag-hair follicle test para sa ganun eh walang duda, na alam ko din na sa opisina ni Migz Zubiri eh walang nagdro-droga doon (That’s why we all need to undergo drug testing, but we must follow the leader. That’s why I should go first. And I am also willing to take a hair follicle test so that there will be no doubt, and I also know that in Migz Zubiri’s office, no one is using drugs there),” he said.

He added that those with clean records have nothing to fear and that visible compliance from senators can help shape behavior down the line.

“Kung wala ka namang kasalanan, hindi ka dapat matatakot. We want to show and lead by example, I think together with Sen. Joel (Villanueva), hinihingi niya din po yan (If you haven’t done anything wrong, you shouldn’t be afraid. We want to show and lead by example, and I think together with Sen. Joel (Villanueva), he is also calling for that),” he said.

Asked about coordination with other offices, Zubiri focused on his own responsibilities while encouraging the minority bloc to go on record as well, saying transparency is best shown through testing in their offices and by the senators themselves.

“Ang masasabi ko lang eh yung sa sarili ko, and I will encourage my fellow senators in the minority, magandang maipakita ng miyembro ng mga minority na magrandom drug testing po kami doon sa aming mga opisina, at sa aming sarili para maipakita natin na wala po tayong itinatago (All I can say is for myself, and I will encourage my fellow senators in the minority that it would be good for the members of the minority to undergo random drug testing in our offices and on ourselves, to show that we have nothing to hide),” he said.

He also laid down how his office will handle any result of positive use of drugs, describing a due process track that balances accountability with a chance at rehabilitation.

“Ang gagawin po natin, for due process, maybe we can ask for their preventive suspension (What we will do, for due process, is maybe we can ask for their preventive suspension),” Zubiri said.

“Kung admitted nila na talagang sila po ay gumagamit ng bawal na gamot, bigyan natin sila ng chance to rehabilitate. Pasok muna sila sa rehab. At pag magrehab sila matapos ang ilang buwan at negative na ang drug test nila, we can allow them to go back to work (What we will do, for due process, is maybe we can ask for their preventive suspension (If they admit that they are really using illegal drugs, let’s give them the chance to rehabilitate. They should first enter rehab, and after several months, once their drug test comes out negative, we can allow them to return to work),” he added.