BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental — The City Government of Bacolod is targeting at least 1,500 regular employees to undergo a comprehensive orientation on substance abuse awareness and prevention in line with its ongoing initiatives to maintain a drug-free workplace. Facilitated by resource speakers from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the seminars focus on enhancing awareness about substance abuse prevention, understanding its negative effects on professional productivity, and explaining local government policies aimed at keeping a safe workplace environment.
A series of five orientation sessions has been scheduled for municipal personnel, with three batches already conducted earlier this week from July 20 to 22, while the remaining two sessions are set for July 28 and 29.
Human resource management officer Jan Bethel Alson underscored the primary objective of the citywide program in an interview with the city’s Serbisyo Patrol, stating, “This is an initiative of Bacolod City to make the city government a drug-free workplace. Our target is around 1,500 employees who will undergo orientation.”
On Thursday, the City Council confirmed in a social media update that Sangguniang Panlungsod staff were among the personnel who actively participated in the first three days of the program.
The initiative is jointly organized by the Human Resource Management Office, the Bacolod City Anti-Drug Abuse Council, and PDEA-Negros Island Region (PDEA-NIR).
The educational drive forms part of Executive Order 54, which Mayor Greg Gasataya issued upon taking office last year to institutionalize the city’s drug-free workplace program. Gasataya previously noted that while drug screening is not mandatory, officials and workers in public office should uphold total transparency. Addressing his stance on leadership accountability, Gasataya remarked, “I’ve been doing this since I assumed the post of mayor. I have undergone drug tests several times. As a local chief executive, you should be a role model to the employees.”
In addition to the orientation series, the city’s drug-free workplace committee has been meeting with PDEA-NIR representatives since early July to finalize procedural guidelines for implementing random drug testing across municipal offices. City Administrator Mark Steven Mayo previously explained that the proposed drug screening initiative is designed to cover 50 percent of the total workforce in every city department, applying equally to regular, plantilla, and contract-of-service personnel.|
