TACLOBAN CITY—The Region VIII office of the Commission on Human Rights announced that it will make sure that the rights of alleged drug users and pushers who surrender voluntarily are not violated in the campaign against crime and drug abuse.
In fact, lawyer Paquito Nacino, CHR regional director, said they will look into cases of human rights violations by police authorities in the anti-drug campaign being waged in the region. “Police authorities are carrying out Operation Tokhang cannot just barge into the houses of the alleged drug users or pushers if they do not have a court order or warrant,” Nacino said.
He cited the case of an alleged drug suspect in one of the barangays of Tacloban went to their office to report policemen who trespassed on his house.
Nacino said that the right to domicile is being upheld and respected by the Constitution. Thus, even police authorities are expected to also observe the constitutional right of the owner.
Operation Tokhang, taken from the Visayan words “knock and appeal” is the code name used by the authorities to encourage alleged drug users and peddlers to voluntarily surrender to them.
“The mere fact that they knock on the houses is an indication that they have to seek the permission of the owner regardless of suspicion of involvement in the illegal drug trade. If the owner of the house refuses them entry, they cannot force themselves in. Otherwise, they will be committing a violation against the owner,” the CHR regional director said.
Since the campaign started on July 1, a day after President Rodrigo Duterte formally assumed the presidency, more than 6,000 drug personalities in the region have voluntarily surrendered to the authorities. Requiring those who surrender to sign an “affidavit of surrender” does not constitute to any human rights violations, Nacino said.