DEADLINE OF SUBMISSION OF DRUG TEST ON MARCH 24

SAN CARLOS CITY -- The city office of the Commission on Elections (Comelec)
has sent notices to candidates in the 2004 elections to submit the result
of a drug test conducted on them.

City Election Registrar Redy Balarbar said Comelec Resolution 6426 requires
all candidates to undergo a drug test.

He said all the local candidates are given up to March 24, 2004 to submit
the certificate of drug test from an accredited drug testing center
supervised by the Department of Health (DOH).

Candidates for national offices are given up Feb.8, 2004 to submit their
drug test result.

Since the Comelec has no direct supervision on the drug test to be
conducted on the candidates, Balarbar hoped that the candidates would
submit "an honest-to-goodness" drug test result.

He said if a candidate is found positive of drug use, the electorate would
hesitate voting for them.