Death reasons confessed drug users, pushers yield

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The fear of death was the main reason why two former dangerous drug users submitted recently themselves to the mayor and the police here to pledge in an affidavit to forego their habit.

JUNKIES AND DOPE PEDDLERS. Self-confessed narcotics users and pushers from the “notorious” Sitio Aling Barangay  Pantal near  Arellano Street have voluntarily surrendered to Dagupan City’s OIC Chief of Police Supt. Neil O. Miro.

The “surrenderees” have been accompanied to the police station by Pantal Barangay Chairman Julie Anne Perez. PHOTO CREDIT: Dagupan City’s PNP

“Ayaw ko pang mamatay sir, user ako gumagamit lang (I don’t want to die sir. I was only a user),” quipped by 24 years old Reggie Castillo inside the mayor’s office here to Northern Watch.

He said he is unemployed after his employer in a mall did not renew his contract.

“I used to have a job where a portion of my salary I used to buy shabu to finance my drug habit”.

Castillo, just like the other self- declared drug users and pushers surrendered to the police and this city’s mayor Belen T. Fernandez, said they used shabu or meta-amphetamine hydrochloride that can be bought for P100 toP300 per sachet.

Allan, not his real name, cited that he surrendered, too, because he feared death from death squads who roamed using a motorcycle the residences of the drug suspects before they assassinate through a 45 caliber handgun their unguarded target.

“Kasi natatakot po ako,” he quipped by hiding his head using a towel as cameras of TV stations pan on the almost 50 drug personalities who submitted themselves here.

He said he came from Manaoag but lives in Barangay Bacayao here where he used to peddle clothes.

Allan said he is presently unemployed.

“It has been a long time that I did not use shabu but the village chief included me on the list so I could not do anything”.

The processing of those surrenderees to forego using narcotics was held either at the mayor’s office, the villages’ gyms, or the police station.

Upon assumption of President Rodrigo Duterte, who won the election on an aggressive drugs war cry, hundreds of suspected and self –declared drug pushers and users surrendered to the mayor, former Chief of Police (COP) Superintendent Cris Abrahano and incumbent COP Supt. Niel Miro.

Those who surrendered were accompanied by their respective barangay chairmen.

Fernandez cited that those who submitted themselves to pledge not to go back in their habit do not mean that they are no longer answerable to the law as they will still be placed under surveillance by the Philippine National Police.

“I hope that this is the start of rebuilding their lives and do what is right this time,” she said when she met the surrenderees from Barangays Lucao, Malued and Lasip here.

According to Supt. Miro, as of September 4 27 narcotics personalities have been killed by either the police or unknown gunmen here.

Police Provincial Director Senior Supt. Ronald Lee said that as of early of this month over 12,000 confessed drug traffickers and users surrendered to the Pangasinan police as a result of the implementation of PNP’s Oplan: Tokhang.

He said local police also shot to death 21 armed drug dealers when they fought it out with the PNP, arrested nearly 300 notorious drug personalities and seized at least P2 million worth of shabu and marijuana.

He cited that under the police reward system, a concerned citizen can send a text message to mobile phone number 0927-3814992 and give the name of a suspected drug pusher or the location of a drug den, the informant’s location and the suspect’s modus operandi.