Low turnout in Tokhang observed

A month after the Philippine National Police relaunched the OplanTokhang, Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 reported of a low turnout of drug personalities who surrendered.

Out of the 978 personalities listed in the barangay antidrug abuse council (BADAC), only 236 willingly turned themselves in. Of the number, 79 claimed they are pushers and 157 are users.

Senior Superintendent Julian Entoma chief of the Regional Operations Plans Division, said that most of the surrenderers are from the towns in Cebu Province.

He said that one of the factors on the low turnout was the insistent of newly-identified drug personalities to continue with their illegal-drug business saying most of the “newbies” are less afraid of the campaign against illegal drugs.

To address the issue, PRO-7 is coordinating the local government units in their campaign on anti-illegal drug demand reduction.

Entoma said that the teams deployed to do house visitations of the knock-plea operations are doing well and they did not receive complaints of any human rights errors.

“Running smooth and so far, Tokhang teams are not accused of harassment and conduct unbecoming of the visited personalities. However, we have a low turnout of surrenderers,” Entoma said.

Entoma said they follow the new rules set for OplanTokhang like visiting houses only from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. and making sure not to force a drug personality to surrender.

They also followed the guidelines that during Tokhang, a representative from the BADAC and the media must be present.

It can be recalled that the Philippine National Police (PNP) was stripped of its function to conduct anti-illegal drug operations and house visitations due to public backlash on extrajudicial killings and errant cops.

However, in December last year, President Rodrigo Duterte again allowed the PNP to conduct Tokhang with strict guidelines to follow. —

Mae Clydyl L. Avila/MBG