PNP deputy spokesperson Superintendent Vimelle Madrid, in a press briefing, said that the list of persons to be subjected to "Oplan Tokhang" (knock and plead) operations was presented to the Directorate for Intelligence (DI) yesterday, February 8. They expect the number to rise in the coming months.
(Ali Vicoy/ Manila Bulletin file photo)
"We are conducting continuous validation and we found out that there are surrenderers who are not included in our list. They are not in the BADAC's (Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council) list but we are welcoming them and since they voluntarily surrendered. They will be accounted for," Madrid told reporters.
"The 11,000 targets cover all levels, from the drug personalities in the streets up to the HVTs (high-value targets)," she added.
President Duterte has repeatedly said that there are three million drug addicts in the country.
Madrid assured that they are carefully validating their drugs watch list for the revamped Oplan Tokhang.
"We have to check it thoroughly because there might be cases where a person is included by the barangay captain in the drug list, only to find out that the baranggay official is just holding a grudge against that person. We have to be careful and there's a process to follow. From the BADAC's list, it will go up to the COP (chief of police), then PD (provincial director), RD (regional director) and then to the DI (Directorate for Intelligence)," she said.
'Tokhang' updates
Meanwhile, Madrid said that Oplan Tokhang remains bloodless since its relaunch last January 29 up to midnight of December 8. A total of 1,573 drug suspects already surrendered in 3,456 operations.
The CALABARZON Police Regional Office (PRO-4A) recorded the most number of drug surrenderers with 372 in 365 operations, while the Northern Mindanao PRO (PRO-10) had the most number of Tokhang operations with 586 but only 86 surrendered.
If Oplan Tokhang was bloodless, it was not the case for the PNP's Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded. The latter covers other police operations besides Tokhang, including buy-bust operations, service of search warrant and warrant of arrest, dismantling of drug dens and clandestine laboratories, and others.
The PNP noted that from December 5 to midnight of February 8, 53 drug suspects died in police operations, with Madrid saying that they "most likely" violently resisted arrest.
Of the 53 shot dead, 11 of them were killed in the Cordillera PRO (PRO-3) -- the most number in the list.
Also under the Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded, the PNP arrested 6,253 drug personalities in 4,058 operations nationwide.
The Oplan Tokhang was relaunched last January 29 after President Duterte ordered the PNP to stop all of its anti-illegal drugs operations in January and October 2017 due to allegations of human rights abuse.
The Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded, which is the PNP's flagship anti-illegal drugs campaign, returned on December 5, 2017.