Senator Robinhood Padilla’s call for government workers, officials, and even his showbiz contemporaries to undergo voluntary drug testing is commendable, Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers.

“Atin pong pinupuri si Sen. Padilla sa kanyang position na dapat ma-protektahan ang mga Filipino, mga opisyal at kawani ng pamahalaan, kasama na ang kanyang mga fellow workers sa showbiz industry, sa mga masasamang epekto ng illegal na droga (We praise Padilla for his position that we should protect Filipinos, officials, government workers, and his fellow workers in the showbiz industry from the effects of illegal drugs),” Barbers, chairman of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said on Friday, Oct. 7.

Previously, Barbers said that showbiz personalities should undergo mandatory drug testing after actor Dominic Roco was caught in a Quezon City drug bust.

READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/02/should-movie-stars-undergo-drug-test-yes-says-solon/

https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/01/actor-dominic-roco-4-others-arrested-in-qc-drug-bust/

This didn’t sit right with Padilla, who said that mandatory drug testing was a violation of actors’ human rights.

READ: https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/03/robin-padilla-balks-at-proposed-mandatory-drug-tests-for-actors-it-is-tantamount-to-violating-their-human-rights/

Padilla, however, has said that government officials and workers should voluntarily undergo drug testing in order to serve as good examples. He also expressed support for his fellow showbiz personalities to voluntarily subject themselves to drug tests.

“Alam ko na halos lahat ng ating mga artista ay drug-free o malinis sa usapin ng illegal na droga. Pero meron din na naliligaw ng landas, na gumagamit o minsan nagtutulak pa ng illegal na droga (I know that many of our artists are drug-free or clean on the matter of illegal drugs. But, there are still those who lose their way and sometimes use or even peddle illegal drugs),” Barbers continued.

“Kaya hinihiling at hinihikayat ko ang hanay ng ating showbiz industry na tumulong sa kampanya laban sa droga sa pamamagitan ng pag-police ng kanilang ranks at i-subject ang kanilang mga talents sa drug test bago bigyan ng project (That is why I ask that our showbiz industry to help the anti-drug campaign by policing their own ranks and by subjecting their talents to drug tests before giving them projects),” the lawmaker said.

“Here in the Philippines, I think it is not unconstitutional to subject to mandatory drug tests all police and military applicants, gun owners, security guards and other security related services. Prior to employment, civil servants and employees in the private sector should also be subjected to drug tests,” Barbers concluded.

Meanwhile, to back up his own statements, action star-turned-senator Padilla voluntarily subjected himself to a drug test with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) last Oct. 4.

His results turned out negative.

READ: https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/05/robin-padilla-undergoes-voluntary-drug-test/