Sotto: National bets must undergo PDEA or PNP tests for all kinds of drugs

Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III on Wednesday, Nov. 24 said all drug tests for candidates in the 2022 national elections should be done at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) or Philippine National Police (PNP).

The urine tests done at these two agencies cover all kinds of illegal drugs, not just ‘shabu’ (meth) or cocaine, according to Sotto who used to head the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

Sotto, chairman of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), is seeking the vice presidency with Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, chairman of the Partido Reporma who will run for president in the 2022 elections.

The Lacson/Sotto tandem underwent a drug test at PDEA last Nov. 22 and the result was ‘’negative.’’

During a CNN Philippines TV interview, Sotto said PDEA used the ‘multi-drug one-step immunometric assay method.’’

The two voluntarily underwent drug tests after President Duterte stated that he learned that a presidential candidate used cocaine but could not be arrested because he uses the drug private planes or yachts.

Former Senator and presidential aspirant Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. this week underwent a drug test at St. Luke Medical in Makati and the result is that he is negative.

Marcos, who said he felt he was not the one referred to by President Duterte, submitted his test result to the PDEA, PNP chief and to the National Bureau of Investigation.

Boxing icon Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao, another presidential aspirant, said he was tested ‘’negative’’ when he voluntarily had himself tested by Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) in Las Vegas, Nevada last Sept. 8, 2021.

He sent a copy of the VADA test to his Fiber account.