WAR ON DRUGS IN PANGASINAN

AS a result of series of police and community initiatives, the number of drug-free barangays in Pangasinan as of Friday, September 16 has reached 36, out of 1,333 barangays in the province.

The drug-free barangays are found in Alaminos-1, Agno-1, Bolinao-1, Infanta-1, Aguilar-1, Basista-1, Binmaley-1, Mangatarem-6, Urbiztondo-3. San Carlos-2, Malasiqui-3, Sta. Barbara-2, Dagupan-1, Manaoag-1, Urdaneta-1, Alcala-3 and San Nicolas-7.

The newly cleared barangays, however, will still continue to be monitored.

Before July 1, only 10 barangays, all in Sto. Tomas town, were certified as drug-free.

The new development is attributed to the 16,754 drug pushers and users that have surrendered to the police from July 1 to Sept. 15 under the Operation Double Barrel and its component project, “Oplan Tokhang”.

This was bared by P/Supt. Ferdinand de Asis, chief of the Police Community Relations (PCR) and information officer of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office, who said 13,899 drug pushers and users voluntarily surrendered to the police while 2,855 others surrendered only after policemen knocked on their doors through “Oplan Tokhang”.

“Oplan Tokhang” is directed at drug personalities who did not voluntarily surrender, but who surrender after policemen with the help of barangay officials, members of religious organizations, visited them at their houses and persuaded them to surrender so that they can be rehabilitated, De Asis explained during the KBP Forum.

While he expects the number of persons who surrendered to reach 20,000 in a few day’s time, he said the number actually represents less than 50 percent of the number of drug pushers and users in Pangasinan listed by the police.

Aside from “Oplan Tokhang”, the police in Pangasinan are also implementing “Oplan Talkhang”, organizing dialogues with community residents, appealing to them to help and report other drug pushers and users that have not surrendered or continue with their habits, and to take steps to protect their villages from the influence of illegal drugs.

Oplan Tokhang has so far visited 13,899 households.

Meanwhile, 439 anti-drug operations conducted by the police in 48 towns and cities of Pangasinan have so far resulted in the arrest of 532 drug pushers. These operations also yielded 314.70 grams of shabu and 431.45 grams of marijuana, with combined street value of P2,077,829 million.

So far, 301 drug pushers were in various police operations when they resisted arrest and shot it out with lawmen who conducted buy-bust operations and served search warrants.

Under investigation are 114 incidents of suspected extra-judicial killings perpetrated by unidentified persons, and their victims found dumped on the streets or isolated areas and with messages on cardboards left beside their corpses “Ako ay drug pusher, Hwag tularan.”

He said the police already created investigation task groups to gather evidence and track down the perpetrators behind the summary executions.

He also reiterated the policy laid down by P/Sr. Supt. Ronald Oliver Lee, acting police provincial director, that vigilantism will not be tolerated in the province.

In fact, he said, the police in Pangasinan support the “Huwag Kang Papatay” campaign of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese led by Archbishop Socrates Villegas. (Leonardo Micua)

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