FORMER senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM) yesterday said he has undergone a “cocaine test” and tested negative for use of the illegal drug.
The test results were submitted to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the PNP, and the NBI yesterday, he also said.
It was unknown why Marcos did not have himself tested by the PDEA.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Panfilo Lacson were tested at the PDEA headquarters in Quezon City on Monday. Based on the PDEA tests, Lacson, a presidential aspirant like Marcos, and Sotto, Lacson’s vice presidential candidate, tested negative for drug use.
Sotto and Lacson volunteered to be tested after President Duterte said last week that a presidential aspirant from a known and wealthy family is using cocaine.
Sotto yesterday encouraged candidates in next year’s elections to have their voluntary drug testing at the PDEA so the results will be credible. He reiterated the drug testing kits used by PDEA can trace any illegal substance, unlike those in drug testing centers which he said can trace only shabu or marijuana.
Marcos, son of ousted President Ferdinand Marcos, said he had himself tested on Monday at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
The test was administered by analyst Geresza Reyes and approved by Dr. Maria Cecilia Fernandez Lim, head of Laboratory in the said hospital, based on a certification provided by the Marcos camp.
“I really don’t feel that I am the one being alluded to. Inspite of that, I believed it is my inherent duty as an aspiring public official to assure my fellow Filipinos that I am against illegal drugs,” Marcos said in a statement.
“That is why I took a cocaine test yesterday and the result was submitted this morning to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the office of the chief of the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation,” he added.
Marcos assured his supporters and that of vice presidential aspirant Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio that he will remain a “vigilant anti-illegal drugs campaigner.”
PDEA spokesman Derrick Carreon confirmed the agency received the result submitted by Marcos’ camp but said PDEA is not the “repository” of drug test results made by other drug testing facilities.
He clarified: “When we said na hindi po tayo repository ng records ng drug test from other testing facilities, ibig sabihin po ay hindi naman required na mag-submit po sa amin.
(When we said we are not repository of records of drug test from other drug testing facilities, it means they are not required to submit it to us).”
He said PDEA will accept any finding submitted to it “as a matter of file/reference.”
He also said the St Luke’s Medical Center in Global City is a hospital accredited by the Department of Health for drug testing.
PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos and PNP spokesman Col. Roderick Alba did not respond to queries about the Marcos camp’s submission of the drug test results.
Lacson, a former PNP chief, said drug testing can best be done at random and not scheduled to erase suspicions of “cheating” since a person will test negative if he or she does not take illegal substance for a few days.
He said that what he and Sotto did was voluntary and it was not meant to pose a challenge to other aspirants.
“It is their call and discernment whether they do it or not,” Lacson said.
Marcos called on his fellow aspirants to also take the drug test.
The Supreme Court has ruled that requiring candidates to take a drug test is illegal, as it is not among requirements for those seeking elective posts, including for president.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he will let the PNP and PDEA to identify and investigate the cocaine-using presidential aspirant.
The NBI is the investigating unit of the DOJ.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) asked other government agencies to help prevent health protocol violations seen in public gatherings of several political aspirants.
Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said authorities do not need to wait for the poll body to act on the violations during campaign rallies.
The campaign period will start on Feb. 8, 2022 for national candidates and on March 25, 2022 for local candidates.
“Comelec’s authority won’t come until February. So we should press existing authorities now because it is under their jurisdiction,” Jimenez said.
Presidential and vice presidential aspirants have been going around the country to meet potential voters. Rallies have led to mass gatherings with participants violating physical distancing rules.
Comelec’s campaign rules provide that non-observance of health protocols during campaign activities will be deemed as election offenses. — With Raymond Africa, Victor Reyes and Gerard Naval
