Davao City cops revive ‘knock and persuade’ campaign on drug trade suspects

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Policemen will start knocking on the doors of suspected drug pushers here under the revived Oplan Tokhang (toktok-hangyo or knock and persuade) in a bid to eradicate the illegal drug problem.

Oplan Tokhang was the idea of former city police director, Senior Supt. Ronald dela Rosa, which resulted in the surrender of over two dozen “drug personalities” and the subsequent arrest of nearly 500 others in 2013.

Senior Insp. Milgrace Driz, city police spokesperson, told reporters here that as in the previous version, policemen will go to the houses of suspected drug pushers to persuade them to stop their illegal activities.

“The first directive of our director (Senior Supt. Vicente Danao) is to have the Oplan Tokhang again as the office plans to intensify further the drug operation in the city,” Driz said.

She said under the revived campaign, the city police would have the same goal — to discourage the proliferation of illegal drugs in the city.

The operation will start anytime this month and will be initially conducted in Sta. Ana, San Pedro and Talomo areas, according to Driz.

During the conduct of Oplan Tokhang, Driz said the city police office would continue with its anti-drug operations, which resulted in the arrests of nearly 11,830 individuals during the 510 raids conducted in 2014.

During its implementation in 2013, Dela Rosa claimed that Oplan Tokhang resulted in the surrender of over two dozen suspects.

“The result was satisfying,” he said then.

Under the old Oplan Tokhang, those who persisted in the drug trade eventually ended up in jail after being arrested.

In Cotabato City, the city police office there said the anti-drug operation there has been going on.

On Wednesday, four persons were arrested when policemen, who were conducting an anti-carjacking operation, found suspected shabu in a house in Barangay (village) Bagua 3.

“We found more than what we have searched for,” Senior Supt. Rolen Balquin, the Cotabato City police chief, said.

Senior Supt. Colijun Caduyac, director of the police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Central Mindanao, identified one of the arrested suspects as Saynodin Andatuan.

Aside from shabu, the raiding team also seized three unlicensed cal. 45 pistols, a hand grenade, six Honda XRM motorcycles, and P22,000 in cash.