PNP welcomes conclusions of Ateneo Policy Center on drugs

April 29, 2019

The Philippine National Police ( PNP) on Monday welcomed the release of findings and conclusions of a study made by the Ateneo Policy Center on their anti–drug campaign.

In a press briefing, Police General Oscar Albayalde said they are willing to listed and engage in all sectors, including the academe that are concerned and willing to assist them in their fight against illegal drugs.

“It should be understood that Oplan Tokhang is essentially a Police Community Relations operation that supports the overall anti-drug strategy. In Oplan HVT, it is unfortunate that there had been some incidents wherein operations turned awry when the subject offered armed resistance to police intervention,” said Albayalde.

“Unfortunate situations like these obscured the well-meaning intentions to Tokhang and associated it with violation of certain rights. And this is how the negative 'labeling' of Tokhang started, more so, the bloated figure of 7,000 deaths attributed to it by the Ateneo study,” he added.

The PNP chief pointed out it’s their constitutional mandate to enforce the law on illegal drugs as the combined personnel of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and National Bureau of Investigation is less than 10,000 operatives which he said cannot possibly handle requirements to address the estimated 3-7 million drug offenders.

“If we don't fight illegal drugs, then who else will?” said Albayalde.

He said Tokhang is an innovative approach where previous strategies failed.

“We understand that it is easier to criticize. We welcome suggestions and even constructive criticism, but only if these can offer a solution,” he said.

Albayalde clarified that it is only the Supreme Court who can decide whether “voluntary surrender” is “unconstitutional”.

“Number one, they are not the proper body or authority to say that it's unconstitutional or not. They are not the Supreme Court of the Philippines so they cannot say if it's unconstitutional or not,” he explained.

“Second, that is voluntary in nature. Remember, we repeatedly said that Tokhang is voluntary in nature. We don’t use force here and no one dies because of Oplan Tokhang. These surrenderees are for rehabilitation,” he said.

During the start of implementation, Albayalde said it was hard for them to rehabilitate all those who surrendered unlike now that they received support from different agencies for their wellness and rehabilitation program.

“Let them cite specific, not in general. What is the unconstitutional action taken by the PNP and then probably if they have a point, and if our lawyers will say it’s right then we will adjust accordingly,” he said.

“You cannot say that everything is unconstitutional. What specific acts in Oplan Tokhang is unconstitutional?” he added.

The Ateneo School on Government, in a report they released last Friday, said around 2,753 out of 5,021 validated cases of deaths in 16 months of the government's anti-illegal drugs campaign were connected to police operations.

But Albayalde said their data are only around two to three percent compared to those that were arrested.

“Thousands of people that we arrested because of our campaign against illegal drugs and if they really died how come we just buried a police in Antipolo last week?” he asked.

He said they also suffer losses in their campaign as more than 200 cops were recorded injured and dead during their operations.

“How come we have these kinds of incidents that we are incurring casualties in our campaign against illegal drugs? This is what we are saying, let’s not condition our minds while we welcome suggestions let's not make conclusion that will condition the mind of our people,” said Albayalde.

“If they have concern they come to us also. If we need to improve in our strategy then we will improve on our strategy. Who does not want good approach and strategy? If any agency wants that, probably number is the PNP,” he added.

Albayalde said they want to meet them to know if they noticed something about their personnel that they did not notice.

But he said they will not ask for Ateneo to pull out their study.

“Maybe something was missed look here. This is the very reason as I said, they may add something on our ongoing internal cleansing to balance our operations to make sure that our operations on the ground will not abuse and we want to assure the people that we are doing this to make sure that there will be no abuse of power from our law
enforcers and to not abuse our constitutional mandate,” he said.

Albayalde said he directed the director of operations, Police Major General Ma-O Aplasca and the director of community relations group, Police Major General Benigno Durana Jr. to get in touch with the proponent of the study for a discussion to improve their campaign. Ella Dionsio/DMS