Supreme Court asked to suspend 'tokhang' in QC area

MANILA - A public interest law group asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to issue a writ of amparo seeking to protect families of victims of a "tokhang" (knock and plead) operation in Quezon City from "police harassment and intimidation," and to suspend tokhang operations in the affected community.

The Center for International Law (Centerlaw) said the petition it filed is the first against the Philippine National Police's "Oplan Tokhang" since the Duterte government launched its war on drugs in July 2016.

A writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty, and security has been violated or threatened by an unlawful act of either a public official, employee or a private individual.

The case arose from a tokhang operation carried out by Police Senior Inspector Emil S. Garcia, PO3 Allan Formilleza, PO1 James Aggarao and PO1 Melchor Navisaga of the Quezon City Police Station 6 last August 21, 2016 at Group 9, Area B, Payatas, Quezon City in August last year.

Centerlaw is asking the high court to direct the PNP to produce and permit the inspection and copying or photographing of intelligence and surveillance reports, and all other other official and unofficial documents and material pertaining to the said police operation.

"And this carnage is just one incident of a continuing drug war that barely seven months after it was launched has already claimed the lives of more than 7,000 persons," Centerlaw said in a statement.

Centerlaw Executive Director Atty. Romel Bagares said the petition only aims to protect the families in Payatas from harrassment.

"We convinced the family members of victims to file the petition because the involved officers continued to harass the community," Bagares said in a phone interview on ANC's "Top Story."

Bagares said the writ of Amparo can be achieved by the petitioners through an SC order.

"The Supreme Court will order the authorities to desist from any harassment or any intimidation on the part of the government towards the petitioners," he said.

He added that they are thinking of filing another petition which targets the whole Oplan tokhang program.

"We’re contemplating about filing another petition. This will really attack the Tokhang as a program because right now we’re only asking for protection," Bagares said.

Malacañang on the other hand, is not bothered by the petition, saying they will wait for the SC decision.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Thursday said the administration is following legal procedures and reiterated President Rodrgo Duterte's call to the public to voice out their disapproval on certain government policies.

As of January 24, a total of 2,987 drug-related killings have been recorded since May 10, data from the ABS-CBN Research and Investigative Group showed.

Of this number, 1,690 were killed in police operations while 1,098 were gunned down by unidentified assailants.

--with reports from Dennis Datu, DZMM