Tokhang 2.0
Officials of the Central Visayas police did the right thing in deciding to invite priests, pastors and other religious leaders to join them in enforcing Oplan Tokhang. Should these clergymen accept, they will give the operation something it has lacked from the beginning: more transparency.
Religious leaders have yet to formally accept the invitation, and the police will need to reveal more details about their roles. Will the religious leaders serve mainly as observers or will they have a say in choosing which households to visit? In cases where a Tokhang operation leads to an arrest (or worse), can they be compelled to testify for the State?
Despite these questions, it would be good for pastors and priests to walk through this door that the Police Regional Office 7 has opened. It gives them an opportunity to safeguard their communities and to check against potential abuse of police powers. For church workers who have lost touch, these visits may help them understand better how their communities live and what choices they’ve made in the face of poverty and pressure from illegal drug networks. They will get an immediate and intimate look at how the church can better help the families of those gripped by the illegal drug trade.
To its credit, the Roman Catholic Church in Cebu is already doing its share in providing rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation centers were already in short supply before the Duterte administration’s war on drugs began. Its aggressive, take-no-prisoners approach has only made the demand for rehabilitation and treatment services more acute. In Cebu alone, the drug war has compelled 67,829 persons to surrender from July 1, 2016 to Feb. 2, 2017. How many have since been rehabilitated?
While asking pastors and priests to get involved in Tokhang is a welcome gesture, let us also be clear about its limits. Tokhang’s police enforcers have operated on a presumption of guilt. The police did not spread their warnings against illegal drugs equally. They knocked on selected doors in poor neighborhoods—the homes of jeepney or taxi drivers, construction workers or the jobless—while those living in gated communities were spared.
Religious workers operate on a different presumption: that no matter how flawed people are, they deserve a shot at redemption. We are curious to see how soon and how extensively religious leaders can reform Oplan Tokhang at its core.