EDITORIAL – Breaking the drug problem

With last Saturday’s major raid on a drug-infested area in Davao City, it has come to light that the drug problem here has come back with a vengeance. The police have also revealed that the major personalities arrested during the raid are not even the most wanted drug lords; indeed, they are minor compared with those who are still at large. Dealing with this growing problem certainly requires much police force and perhaps even the use of force, but there are more subtle ways of accomplishing this.
The coined word “tokhang” may sound funny, but it was an effective program implemented by then-Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director Senior Superintendent Ronald dela Rosa in an attempt to stave off the rising tide of illegal drugs in the city. “Tokhang” is a combination of two Visayan words, toktok (knock) and hangyo (plead). Under the operation plan, the police knock on the homes of suspected drug pushers and plead with them to stop their activities. At the time of implementation, it managed to dissuade a number of drug pushers from continuing with their activities, and it also reportedly drove away those who felt they were no longer safe in the city.
The current city police director, Senior Superintendent Vicente Danao Jr., is planning to revive Oplan Tokhang, but he has also emphasized an aspect of it that should not be ignored by Dabawenyos. Danao has pointed out that identifying the drug dealers who should be talked to is also the responsibility of the people, those who are the pushers’ neighbors and friends and perhaps even families. Without such vital information it would be impossible to create a dent on the drug problem; the police, after all, can only do so much covert surveillance before they are found out. It is therefore important for the people to cooperate so that the drug menace can finally be broken.