PNP chief urges Church leaders to join in renewed “tokhang” operations

March 5, 2017

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa on Sunday urged leaders of the Church to join them on their renewed anti-illegal drug campaign.

In a radio interview, Dela Rosa said they are encouraging the priests to participate so that they can personally see their operation.

"We encourage the participation of the Church. Whoever is the Church leader in the area, their representatives, we are inviting them to join tokhang so that they can see that we are only doing this because of our concern to our citizens who are addicted to drugs and not to abuse power," Dela Rosa said.

He expressed hope that when the Church people join in their operations, they can see how transparent they are, and they will stop from criticizing them.

"So, we open Tokhang operations to them so they can take part and help us," he said.

He did not say when the anti-illegal drug campaign, known as tokhang which is a combination of words to knock and plea, will resume.

But Dela Rosa assured that the renewed anti-illegal drug operations will not be abused by the police.

He said the renewed anti-illegal drug campaign of the PNP aims to encourage the drug dependents to undergo rehabilitation program.

“That is also one of our purpose(s) because our local government units are prepared, they already have programs and on national level, our DOH (Department of Health) also has prepared rehabilitation center in Nueva Ecija,” he said.

He added that they have learned a lot of lessons from their first operation.

"So in part two, the modifications are designed towards improving (the operations) to prevent abuses from authorities and vigilante groups," he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte suspended the police's anti-drug campaign on January 30 after a South Korean businessman was abducted and killed in the guise of tokhang on October 18, 2016. He ordered the PNP to dissolve its anti-illegal drug unit. Ella Dionisio/DMS