SUSPENSION OF ‘TOKHANG’ TAKES EFFECT NATIONWIDE

Local police units in Visayas and Mindanao readily comply with suspension order

Human rights advocates on Tuesday hailed the suspension of the war on illegal drugs as regional police units promptly complied with a national directive to cease and desist from all anti-narcotics operations and focus on weeding out scalawags from the force.

Local police chiefs immediately ordered a halt to Oplan Tokhang and Oplan Double Barrel, the anti-illegal drugs programs of the Philippine National Police (PNP), upon receipt of the memorandum issued by PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa on Monday.

Drug busts, service of warrants and any operation related to illegal drugs were put on hold effective Monday, January 30 in compliance to dela Rosa’s directive. All drug-related operations will be temporarily conducted solely by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Dela Rosa issued the directive on orders of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, following the scandal that rocked the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, whose personnel have been implicated in the abduction and killing of Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in October last year.

The case, which brought to light the alleged “tokhang for ransom” activities of some law enforcement officers, triggered a Senate investigation. It has also compelled the tough-talking President Duterte, who had vowed to wipe out the illegal drugs problem in the country within his first six months in office, to issue a public apology to the Koreans.

Chief Inspector Dianne Grace Catedral, public information officer of the Police Regional Office (PRO) in Negros, said Chief Superintendent Renato Gumban, acting regional director of PRO- NIR, has ordered all police chiefs in the region to suspend anti-illegal drug operations and focus on the anti-criminality campaign.

Senior Superintendent William Señoron, acting provincial director of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, said they will follow the directive and concentrate more on barangay drug-clearing operations.

In Cebu City, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Noli Taliño said during a command conference Tuesday that they will focus on solving murder, homicide, physical injury, robbery, theft, carnapping, motornapping, and rape in the region.

In Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao, police spokesperson Chief Inspector Mardy Hortillosa II said all anti-drug operations were suspended effective Tuesday. However, they have continued to serve arrest warrants related to drugs because “kailangan man i-serve (they needed to be served),” Hortillosa said.