Punchline

By June 17, 2019Opinion, Punchline

Restore Oplan Tokhang here

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 IT is encouraging to see P/Colonel Redrico Maranan, acting PNP provincial director, moving deliberately and surely on the war on drugs in Pangasinan.

His surprise order for PNP personnel from the town to the provincial level to take drug tests was in fact long overdue at the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office. The war on drugs is not a like gun ban campaign where finding someone in possession of unregistered guns  is all that it takes. The war on drugs is a complex campaign vs. criminality.

The war on drugs have various concerns: 1. Who’s distributing and selling drugs? 2. Who’s using the drugs? 3. Where are the pushers operating? 4. Who are protecting the pushers and users?

It is no secret that a number of law enforcers and public officials are either protectors or users or both.

For the campaign to succeed, there must be no question where the loyalty of the  law enforcers lie, hence the mandatory drug test for policemen.

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WHY PRRD STOPPED TOKHANG. Many are wondering why there appears to be no end to old and new pushers operating in spite of reports of constant arrests. The answer to that is simple – it is a livelihood for the lazy, unemployed and unskilled.

Why aren’t the pushers afraid that the the long arm of the law will get them sooner or later? Firstly, they are never afraid because everyone thinks he/she will be careful enough. Secondly, no one else will know they are engaged in drug trafficking.

The first attitude is normal to anyone who’s bent on violating a law. Murderers think so.

The second is something that can be checked to help restrain the pusher.  If he/she knows the police know about his/her activities, the probability of continuing with the crime is lower.

Recall that this was the same objective of the Operation Tokhang (Visayan word) that meant a law enforcer knocks on a suspected drug trafficker or drug addict’s home to persuade them to stop their illegal activities and surrender.

Recall that the results of the first six months were totally unexpected. Millions across the country surrendered and stopped their activities. Crime rates dropped drastically.  Everything was proceeding well in the first three months that it made even President Duterte believe that stopping the drug trade in six months was indeed possible. Then things became awry when some trigger happy policemen became reckless that led to deaths of several innocent suspects. The word “nanlaban” has become a word denoting sarcasm for victims killed in the war on drugs. It was enough for the PRRD to suspend Oplan Tokhang.

Perhaps that was justified then… but it was wrong to do away with it altogether. A modification of the oplan could still produce dramatic results for the campaign.

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HOW NEW OPLAN TOKHANG CAN BE RESTORED. Our law enforcers can be more effective today if Tokhang is restored. Nothing in the book says it cannot happen because it is not illegal. It was proven effective so there’s no reason to stop it. Lapses can be corrected with  policies. 

Today, names of drug personalities continue to be identified by Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Councils BADAC) but the identities remain a secret. Because drug personalities are confident they have not been tagged, they make no bones about engaging in drugs. Oplan Tokhang makes it known to drug personalities and it was effective. Resuming its original context with new SOPs in place can be far more effective to show complete transparency.

Our suggested SOP:

1. The BADAC should maintain and update a list of suspected drug personalities (including minors) who will be subjected to Oplan Tokhang.

2. The chief of police, barangay kapitan accompanied by a representative of the parish church or a local human rights groups will visit house of drug personality to inform the latter that he/she has been identified to be engaged in illegal drug trade and that his movements will be monitored. And if he/she should need medical help or training for livelihood, it will be offered to him/her.

3. A formal notification will be sent to the drug suspect’s house of the date and time of the scheduled visit.

4. During the visit, members of the drug personality’s family should be invited to a dialogue explaining the law and repercussions to the drug personality and his family if he is arrested for selling drugs.

5. A promise by the drug personality to desist is the primary objective of the visit.

6. Results of each visit should be reported to the Municipal/City Anti-Drug Abuse Council.

I believe that if Col. Maranan succeeds in implementing an amended Tokhang, his effective Oplan will become a model to other provinces to emulate.

The rationale for  the resumption of  implementation of Oplan Tokhang after all is to reduce trafficking in communities. It’s what can easily make a barangay drug-cleared.

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COMELEC SHOULD ACCOUNT. Now that the election period is officially over, and all candidates have been made to account for their activities, it’s time for Comelec here also to account for its activities.

We need to hear Comelec evaluate its performance in the province in aid of legislation for the province and Congress.

Comelec here knew it failed miserably in enforcing the rules not only on advertising and promotion but in preventing vote-buying in many towns and cities.

Surely, the Comelec officials assigned here knew and fully understood which provisions of the law made it impossible for them to enforce and implement them.

We cannot proceed like we didn’t see any serious repercussions in the conduct of the campaign and elections resulting from the Comelec’s failure to enforce the law. We have seen these in the past, with one difference today –  the violations reached scandalous levels that made our election law and the Comelec officials look inutile.

Our electorate had expected a more rigorous enforcement of the law, but they saw nothing of that. What we saw was a Comelec that only accomplished administrative tasks.

So Atty. Eric Oganiza, the acting provincial election supervisor in Pangasinan, can do this country and province a favor if he can leave Pangasinan a note on how and where it failed and succeeded, and what could be done to prepare us in 2022! 

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IMPASSABLE ROAD SHOULDER. Many Dagupeños are wondering why the smooth road shoulders along the De Venecia Highway are being dug up.

It would appear, indeed, that it’s a needless road repair project if indeed repairing it is the objective but it is not. It is a project of the Dagupan City Water District for pipe laying.

But why were the whole stretch of the shoulders already being rendered impassable if DCWD can only accomplish the pipe-laying by phases?? They ask.  What they are seeing is the usual practice of contractors preempting the project at the expense of motorists who have to suffer the inconvenience.  

 Hmmm. Why, indeed?  Who’s the contractor?  

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