University entrants set to face drug tests

The government of the Philippines is planning to introduce mandatory drug tests for all new college students, an official for the Commission on Higher Education said. The measure is the latest step in President Rodrigo Duterte's effort to battle illegal drugs in the country, reports Aljazeera.

"This was born out of the president's call to make campuses drug-free, because we see the pervasive effects of drug use," Julito Vitriolo, the executive director of the Commission on Higher Education, said. "What's important is for students not to use drugs. It will be a deterrent if they want to continue their studies."

Some universities in the Philippines have already introduced drug tests on their own volition. STI Education Systems Holdings Inc, which has more than 103,000 students this academic year, has performed mandatory drug testing for the past five years.
Full report on the Aljazeera site