Operation Double Barrel Alpha demands of the police, the quota of 4,606 drug arrests within two months. Can it be done without gasping?
Police units in Bohol have to meet the quota in 65 days- -that is from the launch of Oplan Double Barrel on October 27 up to December 31.
The Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) raised concern that in desperation to meet the quota, considering the volume, the Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) might resort to indiscriminate arrests and undesirable moves in the process.
Romeo Teruel, former coordinator of the Bohol Local Monitoring Board LMB for the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), pointed out during the PPOC meeting on Monday that the success of the campaign against illegal drugs should not based solely on the number of arrested persons.
In response, Bohol Police Provincial Director Felipe Natividad assured that the police force in the province will observe the proper procedure in meeting the quota.
Natividad clarified that the BPPO is not desperate so as to resort to indiscriminate arrests.
He also explained that the campaign against illegal drugs in the province has already reached the stage where, generally, all that is left to be done is clearing the affected areas wherein the number of drug personalities has significantly dropped.
Almost all the last tracked drug personalities have already stopped their illegal activities, he added.
Natividad, however, vowed to run after those who had fled upon learning that they had been in the watchlist.
Natividad also reported during the PPOC meeting that since October 28, the BPPO had accounted more drug personalities who had surrendered and were arrested than those they had conducted operation against.
Meanwhile, more drug cases had been added on November 28 or a month after the Oplan Double Barrel launch.
In Tagbilaran City, the police reported to BPPO on Monday that on November 25, they had already filed a case against one Mario Vincent Balo before the City Prosecutor’s Office for violations of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002 under section 5 (Sale, Trading, Administration, Dispensation, Delivery, Distribution and Transportation of Dangerous Drugs and/or Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals) and section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs); and violation of RA 10591 or the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunitions, for alleged illegal possession of high-powered firearms and explosives.
Police caught Balo selling 0.08 grams of shabu and later found in possession of 1.48 grams of shabu during the frisk incidental to his arrest.
Also on November 25, a case of violation of RA 9165 under Section 11 was filed by before the city prosecutor against Niño Luberio.
A separate case of violations of section 11, 12 and 15 of RA 9165 was also filed against Luberio, Herme Pateño, and Abdullah Manginyog, for the possession of 0.04 grams of shabu.
In a progress report to BPPO, Tagbilaran City Police Station stated the filing of a case against Bernard Amboyon on November 28 before the City Prosecutor’s Office for violations of Sections 5 and 11 of R.A.9165 for the 0.66 grams recovered by the police from him in an earlier operation.
Another drug case was filed on November 28 against Ritchie Salipdan before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor for violations of Sections 5 and 11 of RA 9165. Salipdan was caught selling 0.02 gram of shabu and in possession of six more small sachets of shabu weighing 0.12 grams in a buy-bust operation earlier.