Second chances or scare tactics? Choose

Second chances or scare tactics? Choose

A FUNERAL hearse cleared the way for the police who visited at least three Cebu City barangays yesterday afternoon to launch a jingle for Oplan Tokhang.

The message for those using or peddling illegal drugs was stark: you can ride a patrol car to the nearest station, or you could end up in a hearse yourself.

These were the options that Chief Insp. Keith Andaya of Cebu City’s Police Station 6 gave

to the residents in his jurisdiction who were reported to be still involved in illegal drugs.

“Surrender na kay ang drugas di maayo sa kalawasan. Surrender na ug tug-an kung kinsay nagsupply aning mga druga (Surrender now because shabu is not good for your body. Surrender now and tell us who’s your source of shabu),” Andaya said.

It was a different approach from that of the Liloan Municipal Government, which launched yesterday its Operation Second Chance program to help some 1,260 persons, so far, who have surrendered and promised to give up illegal drugs.

Participants will receive livelihood training and possible job placements to help them recover and change their lives.

“Gitunong gyud ni namo nga karong National Heroes Day namo ni siya iselebrar (We chose to launch this on National Heroes Day) because the message that we want to send across to our drug surrenderees and to their families is that we all have a hero within us… We want to assist them in transitioning into becoming positive and contributing members of society,” said Liloan Mayor Christina Frasco, a lawyer.

In Cebu City, a councilor proposed requiring those who have surrendered under Oplan Tokhang to give 40 hours of community service within six months.

Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. said that while the various intervention programs are “commendable”, there remains a need to teach those who have surrendered “a sense of responsibility for their actions, which have disrupted public peace and damaged lives and families.”

He said that community service can include clean-up drives, planting mangroves, planting seedlings in the City’s nursery, painting public school buildings or volunteering for fire brigades.

A bloody campaign to wipe out illegal drugs was among the promises that catapulted then Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte to the presidency in the May 9 elections.

One of the campaign’s programs is Oplan Tokhang, which involves sending police teams to knock (“toktok” in Bisaya) on the doors of suspected drug users and pushers and persuade them (“hangyo”) to give up.

Jingle

Personnel from the Police Community Relations (PCR) unit of the Cebu City Police Office serenaded the residents of Barangay Suba and Pasil yesterday with the new Oplan Tokhang jingle.

A grandson of the late Boholano singer Yoyoy Villame, PO3 Janew Villame of Clarin Police Station, composed it.

Supt. Chyrel Ramos Boniao, head of the PCR, said the idea behind the song was to make Oplan Tokhang recognizable to the public in a fun way.

“Mas dali man mo retain sa hunahuna sa taw kung naa tay awit maong nakamugna mi sa Oplan Tokhang Jingle choir para makakita sila nga seryoso mi sa among kampanya (It will be easier for people to remember if we relay the message through a song, that’s why we made the Oplan Tokhang Jingle choir to show that we’re serious about this campaign),” she said.

They also visited Barangay Hipodromo, near its boundary with Barangay Mabolo.

One of the lines of the jingle goes: “Daghang drug lord ang mi-surrender na, ang uban nagmagahi pa unya nanukol maong nadisgrasya (Many drug lords have surrendered but some remained tough and resisted, and that’s why they died).” Some residents of Barangay Suba laughed and applauded when they heard this.

‘Entertaining’

Nelia Encabo, 63, a vendor who listened to the jingle and watched the funeral hearse pass by said that it was an effective strategy on the part of the police.

“Nalingaw gud ko. Maayo sad to kay naa’y mga pagtulun-an nga makaingon sa mga tawo nga muundang na gyud (I was entertained and it was good because there were lessons in the song that encouraged the people to stop their involvement in drugs),” Encabo said.

“Mahadlok ta ato nga masulod ta sa porlon (Anyone would be scared by the thought of ending up inside the hearse),” she added.

The barangay captain of Suba, Jojo Sable, said the jingle was easy to understand. He asked for a copy of the song, which he said he’ll play regularly, mornings and afternoons, in his barangay.

In Liloan, about 22 kilometers north of Cebu City, town officials launched a program that offers those who’ve surrendered their second chances.

Around 200 surrenderees were invited to attend the launching, said Chief Insp. Franco Rudolf Oriol, chief of the Liloan Police Station.

Mayor Frasco and her husband Vice Mayor Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco led the launching of the program yesterday in the Panphil N. Frasco Memorial Sports Complex.

Support

Before the program started, the guests joined a zumba class.

Mayor Frasco explained that as part of Operation Second Chance, former drug pushers and users will get livelihood training and job opportunities, with the municipality’s help.

The program will also offer counseling and rehabilitation, courtesy of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, police, non-government organizations, academe and the religious sector.

Mayor Frasco said that participants will also get free medical check-up at the Municipal Health Department and will be involved in community activities like tree-planting and sports.

The town has set aside an initial budget of P500,000 for Second Chance.

“Ang Liloan nipadayag og hugot nga suporta sa programa ni President (Rodrigo) Duterte against illegal drugs. We have zero tolerance on illegal drugs. But, at the same time, if you voluntarily surrender, the local government will help you obtain a chance at a better life,” the mayor said.

The youngest among those who’ve surrendered in Liloan is 12 years old, while the oldest is around 60, according to the police.

40 hours

So far, no suspected drug personality in Liloan has been killed during buybust operations.

In Cebu City, Councilor Alcover is proposing a mandatory community service for 40 hours within six months of a person’s surrender.

At present, the Cebu City Office for Substance Abuse (Cosap) has a “We Care Program” or a shortterm rehabilitation program for drug dependents.

Job placements and vocational skill trainings are also being offered by the City’s Department of Manpower Development and Placement and the national government’s Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Alcover cited studies that showed “community service within the context of a restorative system of justice” is important in maintaining peace.

If passed, the ordinance’s implementation will be jointly monitored by the police, Cosap and other partners. The proposal has been sent to the committee on laws for review.