On drug war: Give chance to suspects, cops — Naval bishop

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Neither the suspected drug personalities and the cops involved in Oplan Tokhang deserve condemnation, according to Naval (Biliran) Bishop Filomeno Bactol yesterday.

Bactol, who has long sent his retirement request to Vatican, took a position on the drug war issue apart from other clergy who pass the blame on either sides. “We have to give chance to the people who are caught or apprehended, and a chance for the people who are doing the apprehension,” the bishop said.

“It would be good if the people (apprehended) will be given the chance to say something but this the fact that when they (people being apprehended) pull the gun the police officers are also trying to defend themselves,” he said.

Bactol believed that although a suspect maybe guilty, he or she should not be condemned outrightly in the same way as that the cops who are able to kill someone in lawful police operations do not deserve condemnation.

“I base (my stand) on what I heard the President (Duterte) was saying (to the police force), ‘Ayaw kamo pagpa-una’ (Don’t let others subdue you), in other words they have to defend themselves,” Bactol commented.

In the July 1 to 13 data of the police this year, 135 persons were killed constituting about 10 persons a day on the average, and 1,844 arrested or about 141 persons a day on average.

A total of 60,393 “drug users” and 5,914 “drug pushers” while 43,026 houses were “visited” by local and village officials to “target and flush out suspects,” according to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

In those operations, 2,906 sachets of shabu, 230 kilos of shabu, 1,094 grams of shabu, 26 packs of shabu, 57 sachets of marijuana, 42 marijuana leaves, 33 marijuana rolls, 10 marijuana plants and one Ecstasy tablet were seized, with a total  amount presumably P146,345,000 in estimated Dangerours Drugs Board value,” the PCIJ report stated.

Bactol expressed his doubt that all of the killings were done by the government, but he conveyed his strong dissent to extra judicial killings. “For all we know, there are other factors like vendetta,” Bactol said.

In Biliran province, the turnout of government’s campaign to crackdown drug addiction or Oplan Tokhang is not alarming. “We do not have as many as anywhere but there must be some (accomplishments),” the bishoop said, as he hoped that a drug rehabilitation center, like that in the Masbate Diocese, be established in Biliran Diocese.

Bactol, who is a steadfast Marian devotee, opted that if possible no killing should happen while the Oplan Tokhang is being implemented. He said that, considering the seemingly uncontrollable killing incidents, all the people could do is pray.

“If possible we there will be no killing, but since killing could not be avoided, all we could do is pray, but then we are not in the shoes of those people who are under stress, under pressure,” the bishop added. (FREEMAN)