NCRPO: Drug test on celebrities should be conducted in front of PNP personnel

The Philippine National Police. (Photo by Toti Navales; PNP Facebook page)

MANILA—The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) on Thursday confirmed that the number of celebrities on its list of those who take or peddle illegal drugs had gone up.

NCRPO Director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde said that from the previous 50 celebrity stars in their list, it has now gone up to 54 after arrested celebrities Sabrina M. and Krista Miller identified other celebrities with whom they had transactions.

However, Albayalde admitted that actor Mark Anthony Fernandez, who was arrested in possession of 1 kilogram of marijuana in Pampanga, is not in their list.

He added that they placed under validation their list of celebrities every month to ensure that the complaints they received were accurate.

The NCRPO chief is continuously calling on the television (TV) networks and talent centers to have their respective artists to voluntarily surrender or undergo drug test so that it will not reach the “Oplan Tokhang”.

Oplan Tokhang or Operation Plan Knock/Request is the campaign of the PNP where they knock on the doors of the suspected drug users or pushers for them to surrender and turn back from their illegal activities or undergo rehabilitation.

“Kung sila ay magka conduct ay sana (If they will conduct it should be) infront of the crime laboratory personnel or even in front of chief PNP (Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa) na may magbabantay na mga police personnel (will be guarding). I’m sure yung ating chief PNP ay matutuwa at pagbibigyan yung ating mga tv networks (our chief PNP will be glad and be accommodated by the TV networks),” Albayalde said.

He noted that the celebrities could not conduct their own respective drug tests without the presence of policemen or not conducted in the PNP Crime Laboratory.

Albayalde stressed that the celebrities were considered as “role models” of the youth, hence, it was important that they should live decently without the taint of illegal drugs.