Davao City First District Rep. Paolo ‘Polong’ Duterte and Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list Rep. Margarita ‘Migs’ Nograles both underwent hair follicle drug tests on Wednesday, October 23, in response to a public challenge between the two politicians.
The exchange began when Nograles, in a social media post, responded to Duterte’s recent drug test video, which showed him undergoing a hair follicle drug test.
Nograles claimed that the video was outdated, having been taken in August, and challenged Duterte to take a new drug test alongside her for the sake of transparency.
“I appreciate that you’ve posted your drug test result, but this is an old test done in August. For the sake of transparency and accountability to the people of Davao City, I invite you to join me for a new drug test tomorrow at 1:30 PM at Hi-Precision Laboratory in Bajada, Davao City. Let’s do it together and show the people we have nothing to hide,” Nograles stated in her post on Tuesday.
The challenge came after Duterte, in his initial video, called on his political opponent—whom he described as being linked to a group dubbed ‘Young Guns’—to undergo a similar drug test.
“This challenge is for the good of the people, to ensure that those who serve are free from any vices or illegal drugs,” Duterte said.
By Wednesday, both representatives had followed through on their commitments, though they did so separately.
Nograles took her test at 1 PM in Bajada, while Duterte followed with another test around 2 PM, this time in front of the media. Duterte also encouraged his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, to undergo a drug test to further prove their family’s commitment to being drug-free.
The Vice President earlier challenged all congressional candidates to undergo a drug test after hearing them question her sanity following her controversial press conference last week. She agreed to take both the drug test and neuro psychiatric exam.
As of press time, no further statements have been issued regarding the test results from either Polong Duterte or Migs Nograles. The two are vying for the congressional to represent the first district of Davao City in the 2025 local elections.
