SILG Remulla to refund Respicio's drug test

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Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Thursday said he will refund the cost of the drug test of Reina Mercedes, Isabela Vice Mayor Harold Respicio.

“Kukunin ko sa [Department of the Interior and Local Government] namin yung number niya tapos i-G-GCash ko sa kanya,” Remulla said in an ambush interview.

(I will get his number through our Department of the Interior and Local Government and then I will send the refund to his GCash.)

In a Facebook post, Respicio uploaded a QR code for a P28,011 payment to his GCash account.

“Jonvic, ito QR code. Pa-GCash P28,011. Reimbursement for drug test,” he said.

(Jonvic, here is the QR code. Send P28,011 to my GCash account. This is the reimbursement for the drug test.)

READ: Who is Harold Respicio?

Remulla on Wednesday called for Respicio to undergo a drug test following a viral video showing the local official having a heated argument with barangay officials over uncompleted projects for tobacco farmers.

Respicio immediately responded to Remulla’s call and took a drug test at St. Luke's Medical Center–Quezon City. He uploaded an invoice showing that the drug test cost around P28,000 and sought for a refund.

The results showed that Respicio was negative for methamphetamine, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cocaine, ecstasy, benzodiazepines, opiates, propoxyphene, and tricyclic antidepressants.

Remulla congratulated Respicio for the negative result, saying, "Now that it's confirmed that he's not on shabu, totoo na talaga na natural ang sayad ng utak niya.”

(Now that it's confirmed that he's not on shabu, it's really true that his brain is naturally damaged.)