ORMOC CITY– Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa has begun fulfilling one of his key campaign promises: to address the illegal drug problem in his town.
Just two days after assuming office, on July 2, Espinosa ordered surprise and random drug testing among local government employees, including elected officials of the Sangguniang Bayan.
“This random drug testing started on July 2. For example, before my meeting with the members of the Sangguniang Bayan, I had them tested,” Espinosa said in an online interview on Tuesday, July 8.
The initial round of testing yielded negative results. However, in subsequent surprise tests, one casual employee and two job order (JO) workers tested positive for illegal drug use based on urine samples.
Espinosa said the two JO workers were immediately dismissed from their posts, while the municipal government is seeking guidance from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the appropriate action to be taken against the casual employee.
“For regular employees who may test positive in the future, the municipal government is ready to help them undergo rehabilitation,” he said.
The mayor added that random drug testing would now be a regular and unannounced activity within the municipal government.
The testing is conducted by the Municipal Health Office in coordination with the local police, using urine samples.
Espinosa’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs marks a personal and political shift.
In past years, he was publicly accused by former President Rodrigo Duterte of being a major drug lord in Eastern Visayas, alongside his late father, former mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was killed while in police custody in 2016 under controversial circumstances.
Espinosa has since claimed to have left the illegal drug trade behind and is now committed to turning Albuera into a “drug-free” town.
During the local campaign period, he vowed that his administration’s anti-drug efforts would focus on prevention, rehabilitation, and internal cleansing—not on violence or killings, drawing contrast with the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.
(ROBERT DEJON/JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL AMAZONA)
