117 self-proclaimed illegal drug users, pushers yield in NorCot

KIDAPAWAN CITY -– At least 117 self-proclaimed users and couriers of illegal drugs surfaced and yielded voluntarily to different police stations in North Cotabato, since Tuesday. The biggest in number was in President Roxas municipal police station with 78.In Kabacan, 24 Kidapawan City, 6 and M’lang, 9.Senior Superintendent Emmanuel Peralta, newly installed provincial director of the Cotabato Police Provincial Office (CPPO), the campaign started since Saturday where police stations all over the province were tasked to convince suspected users and pushers of methamphetamine hydrochloride, also known as ‘shabu’, to surrender and start rebuilding their lives or face the consequences of the law. I assure the public…. This campaign is not going to be a bloodbath.Gagawin namin ito na makatarungan at naaayon sa umiiral na batas,” said Peralta.Meantime, in nearby Columbio, Sultan Kudarat, at least 130 individuals who admitted having used and soldshabuyielded to the police station so to clear their name.Chief Inspector Bernard Francia, municipal police station chief, said they started to intensify their, ‘OplanTokhang’, since last week. ‘Tok-hang’is a combination of two Cebuano terms, ‘Toktok’, which means to knock on doors and Hangyo, which means to ask or convince, drug users and pushers to give up their vice and help the government speed up their campaign against illegal drugs. Peralta said that President Duterte’s hard stance and his intensified campaign against drugs and other forms of criminality made people who are involved in illegal activities to yield to authorities. A police-led campaign like this can actually succeed if the community is helping us,” he stressed.