Busay officials want COSAP to explain ‘leak’

The barangay council of Busay wants the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP) to explain how initial results of the drug test among barangay captains last Thursday became public.

“We will ask COSAP to explain nganong na-leak ang name nga naa pa may confirmatory test para maconfirm gyud pero nigawas na ang pangalan ni Kap,” said Busay Councilman Eliodoro Sanchez.

Together with his officials, Busay Barangay Captain Amilo Lopez faced the media yesterday and denied yet again that he uses illegal drugs.

“Na-shock ko nganong nag-positibo ko nga bisan og baho man lang gali anang mga iligal nga drugas... maong wala gyud ko kahibaw unsa akong buhaton,” he told reporters.

He said politics may have something to do with the positive result and the people behind it have ruined the name of his family and that of Busay.

“Tungod sa politika, duna koy gamay nga pagduda. Ang akong gikahibulngan, nganong na-positibo ko nga dili man gyud ko mogamit ana. Tingali, reshuffling gyud to. Kadaghanan sa mga kapitan didto, mga Team Rama gyud? So, pananglitan, kon duna may mga binuang, Team Rama lang gyud ang maigo,” he said.

He said, nevertheless, that his three maintenance medicines for the heart might have contributed to the positive test result but he wasn’t able to mention the medicines to COSAP chief Alice Utlang during the test.

Asked how the drug test was carried out, Lopez said an escort accompanied him to the rest room and it was the escort who brought his urine sample to a table since he continued peeing.

Sanchez, meanwhile, said barangay officials and workers in Busay can attest that Lopez is not into illegal drugs.

Lopez has served the barangay as tanod for 16 years, as councilman for three consecutive terms, and, currently, as barangay captain.

Lopez said he is willing to undergo other tests to prove that he is not into illegal drugs.

Utlang said she will not comment on the politics allegation but said another test might not be possible.

“Dili napod pwede nga magpa-test siya’g balik kay dako og possibility nga malain gyud ang result no,” Utlang said.

She said the drug test her office conducts has a 99.9 percent sensitivity and specificity, which means illegal drugs like shabu will be detected.

She said she is not aware how the information about Lopez’ test result became public. She said only her staff, the private laboratory, and officials of Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) know about the test results.

She said the urine test will be sent to Manila on Monday for confirmatory test. She said never in her stint as COSAP head did she see that the confirmatory test reversed the initial result.