AS part of the monitoring process of Oplan Tokhang, drug pushers and users are placed under surveillance to validate if they stayed true to their promise to give up illegal drugs.
But last Saturday, three pushers who already submitted themselves to the program were arrested.
“It’s up to them if they will get involved in drugs again but our campaign against illegal drugs is still continuous,” Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Joel Doria told Sun.Star Cebu.
With 11 police stations under him, Doria admitted that keeping track of all 80 barangays in the city is difficult.
“Hindi naman po natin mababantayan lahat sa sobrang dami (We can’t guard them all because they’re so many),” he said.
From July 1 to 31, a total of 2,971 drug users and pushers in Cebu City surrendered through the Operation Tokhang, according to CCPO’s records.
Doria said they have coordinated with barangay officials and the communities to help them with the monitoring.
He lauded their active cooperation to sustain the program in the grassroots level.
Stop
The Oplan Tokhang or Toktok Hangyo is a program where law enforcers knock on the doors of drug users and pushers to ask them to stop their involvement with illegal drugs.
In a recent forum, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 disclosed that a total of 62,290 have so far surrendered in Central Visayas.
Meanwhile, Senior Insp. Richard Sanchez of the Police Station 8 in Barangay Talamban, Cebu City said the barangay plays a vital role in the program, especially in educating the public on the ill effects of drugs.
They also work with the barangay officials in identifying and prioritizing those barangays that are reported to have a high concentration of drugs.
Last Saturday afternoon, Sanchez and his team arrested Niño Rey “Okong” Erana, 32, who was in their watchlist and a surrenderee of the Tokhang.
He was arrested during a buy-bust in Barangay Pulangbato together with a habal-habal driver, Junry Beleña, 35.
Another suspected pusher, Joshua Mata, 24, was also nabbed in a buy-bust by the Police Station 2 operatives.
He surrendered to the Tokhang last July 26.
In the validation and surveillance of the Pardo Police Station, the police learned that Julius “Kimpang” Edillon, a suspected drug pusher included in the watchlist of the station, went back to selling drugs.
Edillon was also caught in a buy-bust.
Arrest
In Barangay Parian, Churchill Rivera, 35; Wilfredo Aguilar, 30; Adsel Sabala, 23; and Jieferson Manila, 24, were caught having in their possession various drug paraphernalia and playing cards.
They also caught Engelbert Sacay, 40.
The City Intelligence Branch also arrested Philip Agang, 33, and Reynaldo “Rey” Cabajar, 52.
Operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7 also arrested 13 persons in Barangay Tabunok, Talisay City last Saturday.
A team headed by Supt. Fermin Armendarez arrested the subject, Whamrick Entienza, 29, one of the members of the Abay and Japet Group, which is allegedly engaged in the illegal drug trade.
Also arrested were James Dean Bacasmas, 26, Gerlito Libradilla, 27; Ian Alverio, 28; Rolando Emnace, 38; Filiciano Cabo, 50; Nassef Tindug, 37; Christopher Moya, 29; Fidel Arnoco, 24; Jerson Cabuenas, 32; Frederico Gonzales, 26; Ashely Largo, 19; and Oliver Abaquita, 30.
Police confiscated shabu weighing four grams with a Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) value of P46,000.
A certain Jigger Labitad, an alleged cohort, escaped when he engaged the team in a gunfight.
He was wounded in the leg.