CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — At least 47 persons in Central Luzon surrendered to authorities at the start of the resumption of the Philippine National Police’s “Oplan Tokhang” (knock and plead) anti-illegal drug drive on Monday.
Superintendent Amador V. Corpus, director of the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3), said the re-launching of the house-to-house operation was giving those who were still dependent on illegal drugs another chance to surrender voluntarily and seek rehabilitation.
“Those who were visited the first time but could not be located or refused to surrender will still be given chance as we always adhere to the rule of law and respect for human rights during anti-illegal drug operations and Oplan Tokhang,” he said.
Corpus, however, stressed that they would keep on targeting drug pushers in their anti-drug operations which were not part of Oplan Tokhang.
He also said they issued the new guidelines for Oplan Tokhang a day before the re-launching so the public would fully understand its concept.
Under the new guidelines, Tokhang will only be carried out from Monday to Friday and during daytime from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The operation, which entails authorities to visit drug suspects in their homes and convince them to end involvement in narcotics trade, will not be forced upon the subjects.
Police officers were also told not to go after alleged drug personalities who would run during the campaign’s implementation.
Authorities shall instead talk to the suspect’s family during instances when the operation’s subject flees or is not around.
The PNP has warned that members of “Tokhang” teams will be relieved of their posts once proven to have been involved in anomalies during the operation.
Oplan Tokhang, which was launched on July 1, 2016, was terminated after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the transfer of all the anti-drugs operations to the jurisdiction of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
“I am hopeful that the public will support this since we have the barangay officials as our partners in this campaign,” Corpus said. (PNA)
