Universidad de Manila

Antonio J. Villegas St. Mehan Gardens, Manila

College of Public Administration

CASE STUDY
(OPLAN TOKHANG)
 Universidad de Manila
Antonio J. Villegas St. Mehan Gardens, Manila
College of Public Administration

Executive Brief

Drug addiction is a disease that affects a person's brain and behavior and leads to an inability

to control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and

nicotine also are considered drugs. Some drugs, such as opioid painkillers, have a higher risk and

cause addiction more quickly than others. Drug addiction can cause dilated pupils, hallucinations,

excess confidence, behavior changes, vomiting with weight loss and increased energy and

restlessness.

Oplan Tokhang is simply Operational Plan “Tutok Hangyo” rolled out by the Philippine

National Police after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte took office spearheading the dreaded war on drugs

in the Philippines. Oplan Tokhang involves the police visiting the houses of individuals suspected to

be involved in the illegal drug trade or as users, to persuade them to stop their activities and submit

themselves to authority for potential rehabilitation.

The legal foundation of oplan tokhang can be traced back to section 16 of Republic Act No.

7160, also known as the local government code (LGC) of 1991, section 16 states that lovcal

government shall exercise both explicit and impliedowers to promote general welfare including the

improvement of Public Morals such as drug-free communties. Failure to exercise these powers can

result in the disciplining and/or removal of the liable local executive per Section 60 of the LGC.

Additional penalties regarding the revocation of local government authority are stated in the RA 6975

or “Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990.” In summation, RA 6975 and RA
 Universidad de Manila
Antonio J. Villegas St. Mehan Gardens, Manila
College of Public Administration

7160 provide the foundation for the relationship between the DILG, PNP, and LGUs with respect to

illegal drugs.

While Duterte’s term served as Mayor for several years, he first implemented the Oplan

Tokhang in Davao City which means to approach and talk. The operation involves police personnels

accompanied by local officials of the barangays or town go from house to house of suspected drug

addicts and drug pushers to persuade and warn them to stop from their illegal activities and offers drug

rehabilitation and livelihood program to be shouldered by the city government if they opt to avail for it.

Davao City Police Office conducted 562 buy-bust operations; there are 1, 053 numbers of persons

apprehended, 799 were drug pushers, 239 were drug users and 15 were minors arrested. It also added

that there are 1, 222 drug-related cases filed in court.

June 30, 2016 when President Rodrigo Duterte has made the llegal drugs a centerpiece of

his administration after more than a year-long campaign that left thousands of bodies, all the while in

the end being unable to put a forth to the final solution to the drug problem. He decided to re-launch

the anti-drug campaign known as “Oplan Tokhang”. It was decided that the responsibility of dealing

with the issue of the illicit drug trade was transferred by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to the

Philippine Drug Administration (PDEA). He implemented the plan of OPLAN TOKHANG in the

Philippines which resulted to the arrest of many drug personalities involving some other politicians and

worst, they were killed in the operations of the police (EuanMcKirdy, 2016). A large number of illegal

drug users approximately 39,000 have surrendered to the PDEA and PNP (Courge, 2016).
 Universidad de Manila
Antonio J. Villegas St. Mehan Gardens, Manila
College of Public Administration

With that program Davao city ranked number 4th safest city in the whole world. And now it is

implemented all over the Philippines along with his PNP chief General Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa. Where

police personnel knocks the doors of an alleged drug user or pusher, asking him/her that he/she will

surrender to the police in order that they will be monitored for further assessment.

Tokhang is a made-up word formed by joining common Visayan terms together: “toktok” or

knock, “hangyo” or request or plead. But for the netizens of the Philippines, tokhang has become a

familiar word which means “killing or killed”.