The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is still optimistic that the Department of Education (DepEd) will reconsider the agency’s proposal of having a mandatory drug testing to all primary and secondary education students.
PDEA director Derrick Carreon said on Monday that the proposal was rejected by Education secretary Leonor Briones herself during a consultation meeting.
Carreon said that PDEA will conduct another meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.
“Although DepEd rejected our proposal, the welcome development is that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) had already mandated already the drug testing to all tertiary level schools,” Carreon said.
In November, CHED announced that the mandatory drug testing will take effect next academic school year.
Carreon said that even Malacañang Palace is supporting the mandatory drug testing for college students due to their age.
“We would still like to replicate it (the mandatory drug testing) even on secondary level,” he said.
PDEA’s push for the mandatory test rooted due to the enforcement agency’s series of anti-drug operations, wherein minors are being used as drug couriers and dealers. Some are even already users at an early age.
Recently, 11 grade 9 students were caught by police authorities in Makati having a pot sessions inside a house.
Meanwhile, in a previous report, PDEA XI director Behn Tesiorna reported that they are monitoring an ecstasy dealer inside a prominent school in Davao City.
Tesiorna did not reveal the background, nor the educational year level of the student, but he said that he is also getting patrons from other schools in the city.
The involvement of minors in illegal drugs lead to the proposal of a bill that lowers the criminal age of liability. The House of Representatives passed a bill that would lower it to age nine, while the Senate is pushing for 12.
