False posts on 'drug test exemption' for Philippine police, military share edited clip

"The Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines are now free and legally allowed to use drugs, only under President Marcos Jr.'s 'Bagong Pilipinas' (New Philippines)," read a Tagalog-language post on X that shared the video on January 9, 2025.

The 25-second clip shows police Civil Security Group spokesperson Eudisan Gultiano saying: "There is a memorandum signed by our chief PNP on the exemption for the requirements for drug tests and psychological and psychiatric evaluation for active members of the (national police) and (Philippine military). I would like to clarify that this only applies to active personnel."

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Screenshot of the false post taken on February 3, 2025

Members of the Philippine police and military are required to undergo annual mandatory drug testing. Police personnel are also subject to unannounced random drug tests (archived links here and here).

Pro-Duterte social media users also shared the clip on X, Facebook and TikTok, drawing comments that indicate people believed Marcos ended mandatory drug testing for uniformed personnel.

"That's what happens when your commander-in-chief is a drug addict," one said.

"This would not be acceptable if Rodrigo Duterte were here," another commented.

Accusations of drug use have been a focal point in the spectacular collapse of the alliance between the Marcos and Duterte families as they attempt to shore up rival support bases and secure key positions ahead of mid-term elections in 2025 (archived link).

Former president Duterte, whose brutal drug crackdown killed thousands, had accused Marcos of being a "drug addict" while Marcos retaliated by claiming Duterte's health had suffered from long-term fentanyl use, though neither provided evidence (archived link).

Misleadingly edited

Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN previously debunked the claim (archived link).

A reverse image search of keyframes on Google found a longer version of the video uploaded in a report from Philippine media outlet UNTV News on August 15, 2024 (archived link).

Its caption said: "Active police and army personnel exempt from drug and neuro tests when securing gun permits."

The 59-second footage shows the clip in the false posts is actually part of a news report about a July 16, 2024 memo signed by PNP Chief Police General Rommel Marbil, which aimed to streamline the process of renewing licenses to own and possess firearms for a large number of armed personnel with expired permits.

This was also reported by local media GMA News and the Philippine Daily Inquirer (archived links here and here).

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Screenshot comparison of the video in the false posts (left) and the original clip from UNTV News

Juanito Victor Remulla, the country's interior secretary, dismissed the claims in a statement posted on Facebook on February 1, 2025 (archived link).

"Let me emphasize that the exemption granted to PNP personnel only applies exclusively for their application for a new or renewal of license to own and possess firearms," he said, noting this was "in recognition of the regular and comprehensive drug and neuropsychological testing they already undergo as part of their service".

He added the video was "edited to deliberately mislead viewers" and labelled its caption "downright malicious". 

As of February 3, 2025, there have been no official reports indicating that mandatory drug tests for police, military, and other law enforcement personnel -- conducted randomly and without exemptions -- have been lifted (archived link).

AFP has debunked misinformation sparked by the rift between the Duterte and Marcos families.