LUCENA CITY –– Three alleged drug personalities surrendered to authorities after “Oplan Tokhang” operations in Infanta town in Quezon province on Wednesday, police said Thursday.
Gilbert Peñaverde, Richmond Contreras, and Raul Beraquel turned themselves to policemen, a village councilor, and a religious pastor after the group conducted Oplan Tokhang in Barangay Lual on Wednesday afternoon, Colonel Audie Madrideo, Quezon police chief, said in a report Thursday.
The surrenderers were in the police list of target drug pushers.
Last year, the Quezon police reported that of the 469 target drug personalities in the province, at least 163 have surrendered.
The police said most on the list were already behind bars, while the others were killed when they fought the police. Others have left the province.
Tokhang is a contraction of the words “katok” or to knock, and the Visayan word “hangyo” or to plead.
The term was coined by Senator Ronald de la Rosa when he was chief of the Philippine National Police at the start of the Duterte administration.