Oplan Tokhang to be recalibrated to be more relentless —Albayalde

Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde on Monday said the anti-illegal drug campaign Oplan Tokhang will be recalibrated to be more relentless.

This is in response to the pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte in his State of the Nation Address that the war on drugs is far from over, but will be relentless and chilling.

In a briefing after the PNP flag ceremony at Camp Crame, Albayalde said he directed the PNP Oversight Committee of Illegal Drugs "to re-calibrate TOKHANG to be more relentless in accounting for the remaining 1,656 drug users in our watch list, as of last week, who have yet to surrender to authorities and to submit themselves for rehabilitation."

Albayalde said Oplan Tokhang "will be relentless in monitoring the whereabouts and activities of 1,274,213 drug users and street pushers who already surrendered."

This is to ensure they have already turned away from illegal drugs.

Albayalde added that they will also monitor 215,323 users who already went through rehabilitation to make sure they do not go back to illegal drugs.

"We are far from completely helping these 1,274,213 drug dependents go back to their normal lives," he said.

Albayalde then appealed to concerned government agencies as well as local government units and non-government organizations "to act fast and concerted."

He also asked critics of the war on drugs to help the government instead "in this monumental task of helping fellow Filipinos regain their lives and restore their relationships with their families."

The PNP chief warned the 893 high value targets already identified against using and pushing illegal drugs.

"It would only be frightful and chilling" for them, Albayalde said, calling them "merchants of death" violating the human rights of Filipinos to live in a drug-free society.

"'Surgical and chilling' will be the trademark of the reinvigorated anti-illegal drugs and anti-criminality campaign of the PNP," he said.

Albayalde said high value targets, their patrons and protectors can expect "certainty of punishment".

Double Barrel campaign

As for the PNP's Oplan Double Barrel which includes Oplan Tokhang and High Value Target Projects, "there will be no let-up," Albayalde said.

He added that the anti-illegal drugs campaign and the enhanced Oplan Double Barrel will have more built-in safeguards to ensure human rights are not violated and due process is observed. —KG, GMA News