DRUG TEST SET FOR LAWMAKERS

THE Dangerous Drugs Board will pursue its plan to have all congressmen
and House employees tested for drugs.

DDB executive director Jose Calida said all lawmakers and the 3,500
personnel of the House of Representatives will have to undergo the
drug test.

He said the agency is just completing the implementing rules of the
project, which is part of the DDB's Drug-Free Place program.

Calida, who just arrived from Beijing where he attended the 2nd UNODC
Annual Training and Project Status Meeting, said his office was
swamped with telephone calls from members of the House of
Representatives, media and concerned citizens inquiring about the DDB's plan.

"There's no turning back," Calida said, adding that DDB doctors and
personnel will conduct the examination free of charge, Calida said.

Asked if the agency can force a congressman who refuses to undergo the
drug test, Calida responded. "The media is waiting for such news."

Those who will be found positive for drugs will either undergo
counseling or be sent to rehabilitation centers, he added.

At the same time, Calida said the Philippines has been cleared from
perceptions that it is the third top exporter of illegal drugs.

He said the country's inclusion in the list of top drug exporters was
based on the answers of arrested drug personalities who said that the
drugs seized from them came from the Philippines. More than one-third
of those arrested pointed to the Philippines as the source of the drugs.

But Calida told the Beijing drugs meet that the Philippines should not
be accused of being a top drug exporter only because of mere
perceptions. "There was no actual number of seizure made and no
quantitative level for it to be based on," he added.

He noted that the Philippines should be taken off the list because it
does not grow opium or coca plants.

During the meeting, five forms of amphetamine-type stimulants were
considered dangerous. These are methamphetamine hydrochloride
popularly known as shabu, methamphetamine pills or "Bangkok pills",
methamphetamine powder or injectables, ecstasy and methylenedioxy
methamphetamine. Of these, only shabu and ecstacy are popular in the
country, Calida said.