PNP targets drug suspects in hiding
OPERATION TOKHANG CONTINUES
LINGAYEN– The war on drugs in the region is far from over.
The second phase of Project Double Barrel and its twin program Oplan Tokhang are now being actively implemented in Region 1 targeting newly emerged drug personalities and those identified during the first phase of the war on drugs but have not surrendered.
This was bared by Police Regional Office (PRO) 1 Director Gregorio Pimentel in an interview by newsmen during sideline of the 72nd anniversary of the Lingayen Gulf Landings at the Pangasinan Veterans Park here.
He said police teams will again ‘knock on the doors’ of houses of new identified drug personalities whose names appear in police’s drug watch list and remain in hiding.
At the same time, he said his office will continue to review and validate the information submitted earlier by drug users and pushers who surrendered last year in order to determine who among the known drug personalities are still in hiding.
He said Operation Tokhang will continue to convince the hold-outs among drug personalities in hiding to surface so they can be rehabilitated by their local governments.
To date, more than 10,000 drug personalities that surrendered have been admitted in rehabilitation programs across the country.
Asked how many barangays in the region have so far been cleared of illegal drugs, Pimentel said the number is increasing but admitted that not a single town or city has already been cleared since the Double Barrel project commenced.
Only the town of Sto. Tomas in Pangasinan has been confirmed by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to be drug-free even before Double Barrel.
“It is still hard to clear a municipality or city. But we are looking into this,” said Pimentel.
He said that moves to clear barangays officially should be initiated by the residents themselves.
A process has been established before police can clear barangays of illegal drug trade. One of which is a certification from the barangay council that no known drug pusher or user resides in the village. (Leonardo Micua)
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