By Dominic I. Sanchez
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Drug users and pushers are
given a deadline until July 31 only to
surrender to the police to avoid being tracked down and arrested, or killed
should they resist and fight back.
“You have until July 31 to
surrender,” said Police Superintendent Rogelio Alabata, spokesperson of Police
Regional Office 9 (PRO-9) yesterday. Alabata said that the deadline was
specified by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Ronald “Bato” dela
Rosa.
Since President Rodrigo Roa Duterte assumed office, over
20,000 drug surrenderees have been tallied in the Zamboanga Peninsula region
alone. Alabata expects this number to rise.
“The police are employing a two-front approach in the
fight against illegal drugs,” Alabata said. These approaches are Oplan Tokhang
(Tok-tok Hangyo) and another approach for High Value Targets (HVT).
“In Oplan Tokhang, police literally knock on the doors of
these pushers and users, and we politely ask them to surrender,” Alabata
explained. The police conduct these visits house to house, with the Barangay
Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC).
The Oplan is done with the following procedures:
collecting of information on the said drug user/pusher; coordination with the
BADAC, the house-to-house visits, validation, and the monitoring of the
suspects after they surrender.
However, it was learned that there is still no program for
the surenderees. Alabata emphasized the need for inter-agency coordination to
develop a viable and reliable program to prevent the users from going back to
the drug life.
“We need everyone’s help,
especially the communities. Please inform us of drug users and pushers that you
know of in your barangays. We are saving their lives,” he said.