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By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

The Police Regional Office-10 has issued a new memorandum to all provincial, municipal, and city police units banning the conduct of Operation Tokhang in communities at night and over the weekends.

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Pro-10 spokesman Supt. Lemuel Gonda said they already tasked all police units to conduct the daytime and weekdays operation after receiving the supplemental operational guidelines in the implementation of Operation Tokhang.

Bag-o nga guidelines nag-apil nga every police stations will have regular assigned four police officers that will serve as Oplan Tokhangers. They will conduct house visitations during daytime, from Monday to Friday. They are also required that police Tokhangers teams be in proper PNP uniform must be led by police-commissioned officers and shall conduct operations from 8 am to 5 pm,” he said.

He said the new Tokhang operation guidelines is aimed at reducing the demand of illegal drugs, community relations, and visitation of suspected drug users who have been properly validated by their intelligence units.

“Tokhang karon is used for hangyo nga ipa-undang na gyud sila sa ilang mga illegal activities. Reminder lang sa gyud og walay ma-violate nga mga kalapasan. We also encourage the media to join the Tokhang operation,” he added.

Last week, PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa signed the memorandum containing the salient points on the proper conduct of Tokhang, where policemen knock on the doors of drug suspects and urge them to stop their illegal activities.

Dela Rosa explained that doing house visitations at night and on weekends is a form of disrespect to one’s privacy.

Gonda said the new approach is also easier for members of the religious sector and non-governmental organizations who are interested to join if the activity is held during the day.

“When available, policemen are also encouraged to wear body cameras and similar video recording gadgets for transparency. That is why we encourage other interested sectors to join the activity,” he said.

Also included in the new guidelines in documenting drug surrenderers, the taking of mug shots and fingerprints should be voluntary and not mandatory.

Police officers who violate the new Operation Tokhang guidelines would be sanctioned administratively.

The new set of guidelines, according to Gonda, was issued to eliminate the impression that Tokhang is a directive to kill drug suspects.

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