Respicio tested negative for drugs: ‘Jonvic, refund me’

MANILA, Philippines — Isabela town Vice Mayor Jeryll Harold Respicio tested negative for illegal drugs after undergoing a P28,000 test at a private hospital, following Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s call for him to undergo testing after his outburst during a council session.

Respicio took a test at St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City, saying it was expensive.

“Jonvic, irefund mo ako. Ang mahal ng drug test,” he said in Facebook post.

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(“Jonvic, refund me. The drug test was expensive.”)

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READ: Respicio takes ‘extensive’ P28,000 drug test after Remulla remark

Remulla earlier said Isabela Governor Rodolfo Albano III is addressing the incident involving Respicio, the Reina Mercedes vice mayor whose video went viral engaging in a heated confrontation with barangay officials during a Sangguniang Bayan session.

The confrontation erupted during discussions over projects funded by tobacco excise tax shares, prompting police officers to step in. 

The incident was livestreamed and later circulated on social media.

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“Governor Albano is handling it. Pero I advised him to give him a drug test kasi mukhang adik ‘yung asal niya. Meron bang normal na vice mayor na gano’n? Parang wala sa sarili. Parang hindi halal,” Remulla said during a media interview.

(“Governor Albano is handling it. But I advised him to have the vice mayor undergo a drug test because his behavior looks like that of an addict. Is there any normal vice mayor who behaves like that? He seemed out of his mind. It was like he wasn’t himself.”)

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“Dapat mag focus siya sa health niya, itigil niya ‘yang drugs,” he added.