Father surrenders drug dependent daughter in Cotabato

COTABATO CITY -- A very worried father has brought his illegal drug dependent 16-year-old daughter to police and village officials here, afraid she might end up dead as the police intensified the drive against persons engaged in illegal drug activities through Oplan Double Barrel. Samad, a resident of Barangay Poblacion Mother in Cotabato City, said on Saturday he was glad he convinced his daughter to voluntarily surrender” to the police.Samad said he was afraid his daughter might be salvaged (slang for killed) because of the government’s relentless drive against illegal drugs. I would rather see her detained and undergoing rehabilitation. It pains me but that is the best we can do to save her,” Samad said in Filipino, adding that his daughter had been using methamphetamine hydrochloride, more known as shabu, for the past four years.Another father also brought his son to the police, afraid that one day he might see his son dead during police anti-illegal drug operations.Teng Usman, chair of Barangay Poblacion Mother here, also surrendered” his youngest 22-year-old son whom he described as illegal drug dependent. He said his son has been into illegal drugs the past seven years.Usman's son, identified only as Teng,” admitted that his barkada” (friends) influenced him to try the stuff in 2008 and there was no stopping since then. I was afraid about what would President Duterte would do against us, so I agreed to surrender,” he told reporters hours after he signed an affidavit of undertaking before Cotabato City police officials.Usman said he repeatedly tried to convince his son to reform, to no avail. He even sent his son to relatives in the Moro rebel front to change his ways but it did not help.Supt. Danny Reyes, Cotabato City police director, said at least 600 self-proclaimed illegal drug users and pushers from 37 villages have appeared before the police and signed affidavit of undertaking” where they vowed to cease using illegal drugs.Reyes said the police Oplan Double Barrel” campaign will continue even as he appealed to drug pushers, users, peddlers and drug lords to avail of the opportunity to reform.The Oplan Double Barrel” represents the two-pronged approach of the Philippine National Polie (PNP) against the narcotics trade. A gun’s upper barrel is symbolically aimed at high value-targets and drug lords while the lower barrel is directed at drug pushers, peddlers and police padrinos.