The president of the Provincial Federation of Parents Teachers Associations (Bohol PTA) expressed support for the education department’s drive to conduct random drug testing among students and teachers.

Bohol PTA president Lanibel Labado, a former municipal councilor, said on Tuesday that more students are neglecting their studies due to involvement in illegal drugs as she pointed out the need for drug testing on both public and private school students.

The initiative would be critical in the reformation of students once they are caught for having used illegal drugs, she said.

This would allow parents to accordingly guide their children and subject them to drug rehabilitation should it be deemed necessary, Labado added.

The PTA official also noted that drug testing would be crucial in the success of the government’s anti-drug campaign as it would nip the bad habit and illegal activity in the bud.

Meanwhile, she also suggested the inclusion of education on the ill effects of illegal drug use in the school curriculum.

The Department of Education (DepEd) has been supporting the national government’s drive against illegal drugs and has been implementing random drug testing in various areas in the country.

In Bohol, the initiative will start to be imposed on students and teachers in September.

Provincial Schools Division Supt. Wilfreda Bongalos previously said that they were ready to facilitate the drug testing last month but noted that there was still no directive from the DepEd’s head office in Manila ordering its implementation. (RT)