NAGPALUSOT NA NAMAN ANG MGA PARI DAHIL SA TAKOT SUMAMA SA TOKHANG
An official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said there is no need to include priests in anti-illegal drug operations of the Philippine National Police (PNP), a report on QRT said.
CBCP Public Affairs Committee Executive Director Fr. Jerome Secillano said the PNP no longer needs the clergy since PNP chief Director General Ronald Dela Rosa has already guaranteed that no abuses will be made during police operations.
"There's no need for priests to join Oplan Tokhang," Secillano said. "Dela Rosa already claimed that there are enough safeguards to prevent abuses."
Dela Rosa assured the public that the new Oplan Tokhang it will be "less bloody, if not a bloodless campaign" against illegal drugs.
Under Oplan Tokhang, authorities visit suspected drug personalities at their residences and try to convince them to surrender or undergo drug rehabilitation.
Secillano said the Church supports the government's war on drugs as long as there is no corruption, abuses and killings during police operations.
"Whatever strategy there is, for as long as there's no killing and it is devoid of any corrupt and unjust practice, the Church supports," Secillano said.
The Church has been critical of the Duterte administration for the number of drug suspects killed during police anti-illegal drug operations.
More than 2,500 drug personalities have been killed and more than 51,800 were arrested out of 42,798 police operations conducted between July 1, 2016 to January 24, according to PNP data.
Under Oplan Tokhang, the PNP has visited a total of 6,808,581 houses in the same period that resulted in the surrender of almost 1.2 million drug suspects.
Panay batikos ang mga pari dahil sa sinasabi nilang pang aabuso ng mga pulis, kaya naman ang PNP ay nanawagan sa mga pari na sumama sa tokhang para makita nila ang totoo subalit umatras ang mga pari dahil sa takot sa mga adik.
