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President to stay as drug czar until mid-Feb.


MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will remain as drug czar until mid-February pending the release of findings of an independent team tasked to look into alleged bribery charges in a controversial narcotics case, Executive Secretary Eduardo R. Ermita said Wednesday. The panel will be headed by retired Associate Justice Carolina G. Aquino. Its members are Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Raoul V. Victorino and San Beda law school dean Fr. Ranhillo C. Aquino. "They will be given 15 days to finish their investigation," Mr. Ermita said. Mrs. Aquino appointed herself anti-narcotics czar to continue the campaign against illegal drugs after two frontline agencies — Justice department and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) — disagreed over the so-called Alabang Boys case. The case against Richard Santos Brodett, Joseph Ramirez Tecson and Jorge Jordan Joseph was dismissed by prosecutors on Dec. 2 for lack of probable cause. But PDEA officials have claimed that money changed hands within the Department of Justice for the case’s dismissal. Meanwhile, Malacañang has approved the guidelines for random drug testing of students that would start on Monday The drug testing would be considered as "entirely a health issue" and that "under no circumstances shall the activity be used to incriminate any student for further legal action that may result in having criminal records and incarceration." Ten students from secondary, tertiary and vocational schools nationwide will be randomly selected per school through a computerized lottery system. "First-time positive confirmatory drug test result shall not be a ground for expulsion or any disciplinary action against the student. In the event that it is determined that the student is a drug dependent, the school may impose the appropriate sanctions against the student as provided for in the school’s student handbook and the manual of regulations for private schools," the guidelines read. "In the case of public secondary students, if the student is later found to have been rehabilitated, the student then shall be allowed to re-enroll." Those found to be drug dependents shall undergo a three-month observation and counseling period to be supervised by a Department of Health-accredited facility or physician in consultation with the parents. — BusinessWorld
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