Batangas City’s Oplan Tukhang haul: Over-500 users, pushers surrender

 

 

BATANGAS CITY–The city gym here was filled with monobloc chairs and people, mostly gentlemen, who turned themselves in. A city police official oversaw the people’s entry, and even asked them to raise their right hands and repeat what he was saying.

That gym was filled with more than 500 individuals engaged in the sale and use of illegal drugs here. They surfaced and surrendered voluntarily to police authorities here on Saturday, vowing to stop their activities and mend their lives.

Over-500 people voluntarily surrendered to the Batangas City police last July 9. That is the latest haul of Batangas City police's Operation Tukhang, with the city now among the localities successful in hauling drug users and ushers under the young administration of Rodrigo Duterte (photo from Batangas City's Public Information Office).

Over-500 people voluntarily surrendered to the Batangas City police last July 9. That is the latest haul of Batangas City police’s Operation Tukhang, with the city now among the localities successful in hauling drug users and ushers under the young administration of Rodrigo Duterte (photo from Batangas City’s Public Information Office).

These voluntary surrenders showed how a new Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, had scared off these people. There are also other similar surrenders in other police stations across the country.

Supt. Barnard Dasugo, Batangas City’s new police chief, attributed the mass surrender to their house-to-house visits on the suspected drug users and peddlers in various barangays in the city under the police’s Oplan Tukhang program.

“Oplan Tukhang” is a nationwide drug campaign of the Philippine National Police in which authorities knock on the doors of the suspected users and pushers to convince them not to engage anymore in illegal drug activities and voluntarily yield themselves to the police.

Some of the surrenderees said they yielded to authorities following the wave of killings of suspected pushers and users since President Duterte, known for his hardline stance against drugs, assumed office last July 1.

“I’m afraid I would be killed next if I don’t surrender now. I also wanted to show my family and to others that I’m ready to change my life,” a 46-year-old self-confessed drug addict told The Filipino Connection in an interview.

Dasugo said 95 of the 105 barangays in Batangas City are affected by drugs and based on their records. In these areas, there are at least 500 reported drug pushers and 600 alleged drug users, thus the city police’s Oplan Tukhang.

At least three drug lords continue to operate in the city and Dasugo said these people are included in their priority list. Already seven drug pushers, all belonging to the city’s drug watchlist, were arrested after Dasugo assumed office in July 1.

The province’s top drug personality Julian Carpio and his son Julian Carpio, Jr. were also killed in an alleged shootout with authorities serving a search warrant at their residence in Barangay Calicanto on July 5.

Before making their vows in front of the police, city prosecutors and public attorneys, the s were asked to fill information sheet that includes a section requiring them to name their sources of drugs. As part of the profiling process, each of them was also photographed and finger-printed by authorities for records purposes.

Dasugo said that they will not file charges against those who surrendered and their names would be removed from those in the drug watchlist. However they will continue to monitor their activities with the help of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council.

Those who will not keep true to the agreement with authorities will likewise be “subjected to police offensive operations.”

Batangas City Mayor Beverley Dimacuha appealed before the surrendered individuals to stop engaging in illegal drug activities. Dimacuha also did a Duterte, saying she’s on an all-out war against illicit drugs.

While she recognizes that the rehabilitation process may be difficult, Dimacuha said that the city government is ready to assist them as they change their lives anew.

“Do you want to see yourselves on television with a newspaper cover? You only have one life to live so make the most out of it. The best project is to work on yourself,” she stressed.

Her husband Batangas City Rep. Mario Vittorio Mariño vowed to help the surrenderrees by recommending them for livelihood, scholarship, medical and financial assistance from the city government.

The neophyte legislator said he will also work out to build a rehabilitation facility for the said drug dependents.

 

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About Jeremaiah Opiniano