Oplan Tokhang reloaded

By Nitz Arancon,
Correspondent

THE NATIONAL Police has started the second round of the national police’s Operation Tokhang across the country yesterday.

Here, Camp Alagar commander Chief Supt. Agripino Cruz has issued a directive on the relaunching of Oplan Tokhang to all provincial and city police directors in northern Mindanao.

Camp Alagar spokesman Supt. Lemuel Gonda said Javier’s directive came with guidelines in relaunching of the nationwide anti-illegal drugs campaign.

The guidelines list the following:

1. All anti-illegal drugs operations shall be coordinated with the Drug Enforcement Agency.
2. Only members of the Drug Enforcement Unit are allowed to conduct operations. Its member should be clear of any derogatory record and be reminded of accountability and internal cleansing.
3. Oplan Tokhang activities shall be done with barangay chairpersons or other barangay officials, church leaders, and territorial commanders (i.e. chief of police stations and commanders).
4. All Regional Drug Enforcement Unit, Provincial Drug Enforcement Units,  Municipal Drug  Enforcement Team, Station Drug Enforcement Teams shall be directly under the regional director, provincial director, city director, and territorial commanders, respectively.

However, the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) has relaunched the anti-illegal drug operations in the city earlier that its counterpart in the region on Saturday.

Cocpo spokesman Chief Insp. Mardy Hortillosa told Gold Star Daily that city police director Senior Supt. Gerardo Rosales has already created two teams for the anti-illegal drugs campaign.

Rosales, Hortillosa said, formed the City Drug Enforcement Unit which will be headed by City Intelligence Branch head Chief Insp. Ariel Philip Pontillas.