Region’s cops ‘best’ in Tokhang

CEBU, Philippines - The Police Regional Office-7 is the best in the country in the implementation of the Philippine National Police's Oplan Tokhang and Project Double Barrel campaigns.

Superintendent Arnel Banzon, PRO-7 Regional Operations and Plans Division deputy chief, told yesterday's Talakayan sa PRO that in the first two months, they served 12 search warrants and 27 warrants of arrest in Central Visayas.

They were also able to conduct 545,998 buy-bust operations that resulted to the arrest of 696 suspected drug pushers and 779 suspected drug users, confiscation of 3,539.41 grams of shabu worth P41.8 million, and filed 1,626 criminal complaints.

He likewise said that the Oplan Tokhang visited 48,748 houses and resulted to the surrender of 67,312 drug users and 4,985 drug pushers.

Among those who earlier surrendered were Mc Jay Tolentino, 22, a resident of Sitio Diladila, Barangay Bantigue, Bantayan town, and Shinji "Wowow" Copas, 35, a resident of Barangay Poblacion, Asturias town, who were arrested in separate anti-drug operations recently.

Two drug personalities, who earlier surrendered before the authorities through "Oplan Tokhang" were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday during a separate buy-bust operations in the towns of Bantayan and Asturias.

Around 8:40 p.m. last Wednesday, Tolentino was arrested during a buy-bust operation led by Chief Inspector Stephen Amamag-id after the police learned that he went back to selling illegal drugs after supposedly surrendering to authorities.

Using a P500 bill as buy-bust money, a poseur-buyer bought from Tolentino a pack of a small heat-sealed transparent plastic sachet containing a white, crystalline substance believed to be shabu.

After the transaction was completed the, the policemen arrested Tolentino, who is now in jail waiting for the filing of criminal complaints against him.

In Asturias town, Copas was arrested last Thursday at about 2:20 p.m. during an anti-illegal drugs operation conducted by the operatives of Asturias Police Station. He was allegedly one of the top priority targets of the police station.

The operatives, utilizing P200 as buy-bust money, arrested Copas for selling illegal drugs. The Asturias police were also able to recover 0.42 grams believed to be shabu from his possession with Dangerous Drugs Board value of P2,702.

Copas was detained at the police station pending the filing of complaints against him.

Banzon said based on their monitoring, 92.31 percent of drug users are males while 1.96 percent are females, and 5.73 percent were minors.

For drug pushers who surrendered, 86.62 percent were males, 10.1 percent were females, and 3.38 percent were minors.

Chief Superintendent Noli Taliño, PRO-7 director, said that from July 1 to August 31, a total of 89 drug personalities were killed during police operations while 99 drug personalities were killed by unknown assailants.

"We believe that these incidents karamihan dito, we found out na sila yung nagpapatayan yung mga involved sa illegal drugs," he said, adding that the campaign was just like what happened in Cebu City recently, where an alleged drug personality was shot dead by another man with links to illegal drugs. (FREEMAN)