RANDOM drug testing for drivers of public utility vehicles in Pavia town, Iloilo province. (LTO-Region 6)
ILOILO CITY – Six Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) drivers tested positive for illegal drug use during a random drug test conducted by the Western Visayas regional office of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) ahead of this year’s All Saints Day.
Five of the six who tested positive during the random testing on Wednesday, Oct. 29, were tricycle drivers in Antique province. The other was a truck driver who was tested in Malay town, Aklan province.
LTO-6 Regional Director Gaudioso P. Geduspan II ordered the suspension of their driver’s licenses pending confirmatory testing by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
“If the confirmatory test is still positive, we will recommend revocation of the driver’s license," Geduspan said.
The random drug testing was also part of “Oplan: Harabas” or the broader initiative of the LTO to reduce the number of road crashes linked to drivers under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol.
PDEA-6 Regional Director Ralph Rommel D. Torres said the random drug testing aims to keep travel for Undas drug-free and safe both for motorists and passengers.
Oplan Harabas was also conducted in the island province of Guimaras on Thursday, Oct. 30.