Senate random drug testing pushed after alleged marijuana use of senator’s staff

Metro Manila, Philippines - Senate Minority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III is pushing for the return of random drug testing in the Senate in light of suspicions that a senator’s employee used marijuana in the Senate premises.

The employee has denied the claim amid an ongoing investigation.

“The call is to the Senate leadership. Ibalik nila dati kong order diyan na random drug testing [They should reinstate the order I previously issued for random drug testing],” Sotto said in a phone interview on Friday, Aug. 15.

“Nung panahon ko, four and a half years iyan lagi may random drug testing ang mga empleyado. Optional ang mga senador pero ang mga empleyado nila, random, pili-pili paminsan-minsan kung sino,” he recalled when he was Senate president.

[Translation: During my time, for four and a half years, employees regularly underwent random drug testing. It was optional for senators, but their staff were randomly selected from time to time.]

Sotto headed the Senate during the Duterte administration. He lost to Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero in the election at the opening of the 20th Congress.

NewsWatch Plus has reached out to Escudero for comment on Sotto’s proposal.

Escudero earlier ordered an investigation after reports surfaced this week that a Senate staff member supposedly used marijuana within the premises.

According to an incident report from the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA), legislative officer Victor Patelo recorded at least two instances of suspected marijuana smoke coming from the ladies’ comfort room on the fifth floor, near the senators’ extension offices.

In the first incident, which occurred around the second week of July, Patelo said he inspected the area but found no one smoking.

The second incident was on Tuesday, Aug. 12. A man, who identified himself as a staff of Senator Ping Lacson, reported an unusual odor from the same restroom, describing it as resembling marijuana. He said he saw only one person in the area at the time.

Patelo said he approached the person, and the latter “denied smoking inside the ladies’ comfort room or using marijuana for that matter, but acknowledged possessing a vape in her bag, which she said could have produced the unusual scent.”

Initial reports identified the employee as a member of Senator Robin Padilla’s office. In response, lawyer Rudolf Philip Jurado, Padilla’s chief of staff, said their office immediately looked into the matter and coordinated with the OSAA.

He added that they had already asked the employee - currently on leave - for a written explanation. She has been given until Tuesday, Aug. 19, to respond.