Priests and Pastors have been Invited to join the Philippine Drug War

Manila, Philippines

The Philippine Drug War is getting more exciting. This Sunday, PNP Chief Director Ronald de la Rosa invited church leaders to join the operation Tokhang. That just means that the police force will be accompanied by the church leaders or representatives while making rounds on the houses of the suspected drug users or pushers. 

"We encourage the participation of the Church. Kung sino yung Church leaders sa area, yung representatives nila, iniimbitahan nating sumama sa Tokhang para makita talaga nila na ito ay ginagawa dahil sa concern natin sa mga kababayan nating nalulong sa droga at hindi ito maabuso," Dela Rosa told radio DZMM. (We invite the church leaders in the area to join the Tokhang so that everyone will see that we're doing this for the welfare of our countrymen who are drug-dependents and the operation will not be abused.)

The Chief Director's intention is good. But, is this really a good idea? The Catholic Church Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CCBCP) have been against this campaign since it was launched in May 2016. This looks like a desperate attempt from the PNP to get the trust of the people. There we're several unconfirmed reports of abuse during the operation which are currently under investigation. 

The criticism on the campaign skyrocketed after the kidnapping and killing of the Korean businessman,Jee Ick-joo in the national police headquarters last October. This incident caused and uproar that lead to temporary halt on the campaign. 

De la Rosa stated that this will ensure that no abuses will be committed during the operations and can help convince the suspects to undergo therapy and rehabilitation. He promised that new policies will be implemented once the campaign restarts. He is cofident that the church leaders can greatly help to straighten the police force and the drug suspects will stop their illegal drug activities (if they are guilty) for the better. 

"Pagkatapos kang sermunan ng pulis, iiwanan ka ng blessing ng pari, siguro naman baka may malaking sansang magbago ka o magpapa-rehab ka na," he said.  (After the police lectures you and the priest blesses you, there is a chance that you will seek reform or decide to go to rehab.)

 So it seems, the priest or any church leader will pray over you to cast all of your demons away so that you may change. That's interesting. I asked around to get some reaction about this and here's some of what I've got :  

Mary Grace finds the move favorable. She said, "If the church will agree, then that will just show that both the government and the church have the same goals. I'm in favor of the operation and I wanted the church to support the campaign, too. It will ensure no abuses will be committed and the church will show what is really happening in the frontlines. It's a good oppurtunity of how we should display our character as a religious country." 

Stacey said, "The church leaders should just be observers and should not directly participate in the operation. They just have to ensure that no abuses will be committed. No blessings should be conducted to keep people from being offended if they have a different religion."

Rose commented that, "The PNP is just looking for other options on how to do it right and the people will also see it right. They want to show that they are being equal in this campaign. We should give them the benefit of the doubt." 

Mutual cooperation is good. But, the church and the state should still be separated. We have to clarify the limitations of each. Moreover, we should not overlook other departments in conducting the operation. If we need observers, we can seek help from the Commission on Human Rights (CHR). We're not going to capture Molly Hartley, right? Besides, having the church leaders on the frontline could endanger their lives. What if there will be a sudden encounter? The church leaders will just be a liability for our police force. 

So how about you? Do you think having the church officials and leaders in the campaign  is the right move from the PNP?