MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde yesterday said barangay officials included in the government’s narco list who won fresh terms in the elections will be subjected to Oplan Tokhang.
Albayalde warned the officials that winning fresh mandates is a not a ticket for them to be exonerated from their alleged involvement in illegal drugs.
“They are not excused if they are really involved in illegal drugs,” he said at a news briefing in Camp Crame.
Tokhang, which means knock and plead in Cebuano, is an activity where police officers knock on the doors of drug suspects and ask them to stop their illegal activities and reform.
If the barangay officials refuse to cooperate, Albayalde said they will conduct a case build-up against them.
“Gather evidence and if evidence warrants, we can apply for search warrants against them,” he said.
Albayalde, however, admitted that they have yet to identify who among the 207 barangay officials in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency narco list have won in last Monday’s polls.
“We still don’t know how many,” he said.