Tokhang revisited

It smacks of a Hollywood blockbuster summer action movie. But I don’t know if Oplan Tokhang Revisited will live up to the hype garnered by its predecessor.

Mind you, the first Tokhang operation didn’t disappoint fans.

Remember the shootouts? There were weeks when these hogged the headlines.

The outcomes were always the same. The “bad guys” always lost. And by lost, meaning they went kaput in a hail of bullets.

The police script never wavered. It was the same throughout the entire narrative. (Hey, at least they were consistent.) But I guess that’s where suspension of disbelief is called for, right?

I mean, who’d believe it? Every drug personality was shot dead after he pulled out a gun and fired at operatives. Every time? Okay, there were variations, however slight. A drug personality would sometimes get killed for just reaching for something under his shirt or behind him. Still, the public lapped it up. With over 7,000 casualties in the Duterte administration’s war against illegal drugs, that’s more blood shed in the latest installment in the Wolverine franchise Logan and John Wick: Chapter 2 put together.

But it wasn’t all gore and carnage. This is the Philippines, after all. There had to be some drama.

Police Director General Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa crying during a Senate hearing was a real tearjerker. He had the whole country when he admitted that he wasn’t Superman, that he was just an ordinary policeman who was thrust into the role of PNP chief.

The country was dumbstruck. It’s not every day you see a grown man cry on TV.

But it couldn’t all be gore and carnage and a grown man crying on TV. Considering the Filipinos’ addiction to videokes, there had to be singing. And Oplan Tokhang didn’t disappoint.

Again, its top honcho took center stage. There was that instance when he channeled his inner Rod Steward and belted out the latter’s classic, “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You.” Or how about that time when Bato performed his own rendition of Willy Garte’s hit “Bawal na Gamot.”

But that’s not all. There was also dancing. Although this time around, it wasn’t Bato who took to the stage. It was his alter ego, “PO1 Bato,” the new Philippine National Police mascot, who took on the Trumpets Challenge last August.

While these spectacles went on, the bodies of drug personalities started to pile, which caught the attention of the international community. Hence, the change of tack. So what can the public expect with Oplan Tokhang Revisited?

For starters, the police tried to involve the religious community, but its members are saying no. For now. Too bad, with priests participating, I would have expected lots of singing not to mention drinking.