Students in 15 public and private high schools in Metro Manila start undergoing random drug test today.

Education assistant secretary for special projects Thelma Santos said non-teaching staff would be lined up after the students.

?The allotted budget for the drug testing kit for each student is P30. The confirmatory testing, the forms and everything else will amount to P100 per student,? she said, adding that shabu and marijuana usage could be detected but not ecstacy or cocaine which would require more expensive screening.

Commission on Higher Education chairman Dr. Emmanuel Angeles said also for testing were students in 1,726 schools in which faculty members in 110 state universities and colleges and their 77 counterparts in local government units would be included starting March. Gigi Mu?oz David