Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Nicolas Torre III on Wednesday condemned the previous administration’s controversial anti-drug campaign Oplan Tokhang, calling it “flawed” and likening it to a “criminal act.”
In his speech before the PNP Press Corps, the top cop likened Oplan Tokhang to crafting a headline without proper sources or evidence.
“A Tokhang without evidence is no better than a headline without sources, without attribution. Both create noise, stop fear, and arouse trust,” he noted.
Torre further criticized the core concept of Tokhang, which he described as a strategy where police officers visited homes of suspected drug users and pushers, often without warrants.
“I believe that Oplan Tokhang, in its most basic concept, is flawed,” Torre said.
“Flawed in the sense that itself shows how misinformation can start inside our own house. Think about it. We go to someone's house, knock on the door, very unsuspected door breakers to stop,” he added.
The PNP chief stressed that law enforcers must act within the bounds of the law, especially when it comes to arrests and searches.
“Our job is to bring a warrant, whether it is a search warrant or a warrant of arrest, and enforce the law, arrest the criminals, and hold them in jail,” he said.
Torre went further, warning that without solid evidence, police actions under Tokhang amounted to grave misconduct.
“If we don't have the evidence, doing so, we commit at the very least slander. We commit harassment. Essentially, we commit a criminal act,” he declared.
“That is the heart of misinformation, acting or posting before the truth,” Torre continued.
Torre’s remarks mark a notable shift from the usual defense of Oplan Tokhang, particularly under the leadership of former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose war on drugs is currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity.
It may be recalled that Torre himself previously led the arrest of Duterte in connection with cases filed at the ICC, a move that marked a stunning reversal in the police institution’s posture toward the former president.
