Public school teachers who voluntarily gave themselves in to police authorities in response to Operation Tokhang (toktok-hangyo) of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) will be given the support of the Department of Education (DepEd) to wean them from their dependence on drugs.

DepEd 7 Division of Bohol, Schools Division Superintendent Wilfreda Bongalos told DYRD Balita that they are now in the process of identifying the names appearing in the list of drug personalities from the Philippine National Police.

Operation Toktok Hangyo (Knock and Plead) in the Visayan language has scored more than 28,115 users and dealers in Bohol after police authorities went from house to house and pleaded to those involved in illegal drugs to voluntarily turn themselves in to their police stations.

The identification process, according to Bongalos is the first step taken by the DepEd in their efforts to determine teachers engaged in illegal drugs.

The Chronicle learned that several teachers voluntarily surrendered to police authorities and admitted their involvement in illegal drugs as users.

Even before the present administration’s war against illegal drugs, DepEd-Bohol has set a rehabilitation process for teachers who were into drugs and willing to undergo professional treatment.

Bongalos said that teachers are advised to go on leave without pay and seek treatment adding “we had one teacher who successfully hurdled the six month rehabilitation process and came back while there was one who failed and never reported back to work”.

DepEd-Bohol is still mulling to undertake drug testing of teachers even as a teacher assigned at the Bartolome Doria Elementary School in Calunasan Norte, Loboc was nabbed in a buy bust operation selling drugs near the school premises.(Chito M. Visarra)