A STUDY ON POVERTY AND DRUG ADDICTION IN THE

PHILIPPINES:“OPLAN TOKHANG”, AN ANTI-POOR AND

INEFFECTIVE ANSWER TO THE DRUG PROBLEM
2012-01180 MAGTIRA, Paolo L. FA-199 Section W-1

Abstract
This study is a deconstruction of Rodrigo Duterte’s implementation of Oplan
Tokhang as an attempt to answer the problem regarding illicit drugs in the
Philippines; the Duterte administration’s anti-drug policy does not address the
rampant poverty amongst people, which is cited as one of the main motivation to
drug addiction. Instead, the government prefers the use of summary executions,
claiming success in its body count. The extrajudicial killings as a result of Oplan
Tokhang have been rampant; with the documented deaths committed in the hands
of police have been with impunity.
The relationship of addiction and poverty with its relation to extrajudicial killings
of the poor as consequence of the “War on Drugs” will be the primary point of
discussion.
Poverty and drug addiction has long been prevalent problems for Philippine
society; these societal dilemmas have a direct correlation with one another.
Economical disadvantage is a major environmental factor that can contribute to the
predisposition of a person into substance abuse. Further adding, it should be noted
that addiction is actually a brain illness that emerges through the application of two
(2) variables: internal (genetics) and external (environmental societal) factors.
The approach and concept of the war against drugs is an inherently flawed
operational method; it only serves to make the entire drug situation worse, instead
of addressing the addicts themselves through comprehensive rehabilitation
programs and putting forth policies to alleviate environmental influences such as
poverty. Despite the fact of the anti-poor and abusive nature of Oplan Tokhang, a
significant number of Filipinos still express approval and support to the concept of
Duterte’s War on Drugs, and the administration at large.
I.) Background of the Study
Oplan Tokhang is the solution that the Duterte administration came up with as an
answer to the prevalent problem of illegal drug trafficking and drug addiction in
the Philippines. Ever since its implementation during the earliest days of the
Duterte government’s term, it has come at the cost of the deaths of thousands of
citizens who had allegedly fostered involvement with the illicit drug industry; these
people were alleged to be drug traffickers and drug users, which culminated in the
end result being a complete disregard for the concept of due process through
rampant killings. These summary executions or extrajudicial killings as they are
commonly referred to, came to pass through the hand of either alleged “Third Party
Vigilantes” or the Philippine National Police (PNP) themselves through routine
anti drug operations.
Furthermore, among the commonly occurring fatalities in the Duterte
administration’s “War on Drugs” were the youth, Kian de los Santos (17) and Carl
Arnaiz (19) are only a few of the numerous young victims. The police claim these
teenagers were armed and dangerous at the time of their encounters; this alleged
“retaliation” from suspects became a common motif for the justification of these
police killings. These young lives are only a small part of the thousands of deaths
under the Duterte administration’s bloody campaign in an attempt to provide a
final solution to the drug problem that is afflicting the Philippines.
In the middle of the month of October in the year of 2017, Oplan Tokhang was put
to a halt by the Duterte administration after more than a year-long campaign that
left thousands of bodies in its wake, all the while in the end being unable to put a
forth the “final solution” to the drug problem. It was decided that the responsibility
of dealing with the issue of the illicit drug trade was transferred from the
Philippine National Police (PNP) to the Philippine Drug Administration (PDEA).
II.) Problem Statement
1.0 Main Statement
Was Oplan Tokhang, a policy that led to the thousands of deaths of people mostly
from the poor sectors, a proper answer to quell the drug problem in the
Philippines? Under the main line of inquiry, there are a number of sub-questions
that pertain to the original statement mentioned above:
1.1 About Oplan Tokhang
• What were the policies put forth under Oplan Tokhang and how were they
implemented?
• What was the connection of the implementation of Oplan Tokhang and the
killings among perceived addicts/pushers?
 • What were the implications of Oplan Tokhang being primarily aimed at
poorer sectors of Philippine society?
• With previous “war on drugs” implemented in various countries as a
reference, was Oplan Tokhang a proper approach?
1.2 About Drug Addiction
• Should drug addiction be treated as a crime deserving of capital punishment?
• What effects does addiction have on the human body?
• What are the factors that make an individual predisposed to falling into
addiction?
1.3 About Poverty in the Philippines and as an Environmental Factor to
Addiction
• How do we define the concept of poverty?
• What are the factors and circumstances of poverty in the Philippine context?
• How is drug addiction and poverty correlated?
1.4 About Rehabilitation as an Alternative
• What are the different rehabilitation models as modes of treatments?
• How do we properly approach the process of addiction rehabilitation?
III.) Research Objectives
A.) Main Objective
To know that the if the “War on Drugs” implemented by the Duterte administration
was an adequate answer to the Philippine drug problem; whether or not “Oplan
Tokhang” was a policy that put forth the interest of the Filipino citizens or instead
a haphazard attempt to create a solution to a complex problem.
1.1 About Oplan Tokhang
To know the policies put under Oplan Tokhang and how these policies were
implemented.
• To know the connection of the implementation Oplan Tokhang and the
heavy death count that was perpetuated under the Oplan Tokhang. 3.)
• To be able to draw implications regarding the implications of the poor as
targets under Oplan Tokhang. 4.)
 • To be able to cross-reference previous campaigns of other countries in
regards to the drug problem with the current Oplan Tokhang.
1.2About Drug Addiction
• To be able to prove that drug addiction is a complex problem with deeper-
rooted implications that is not easily answerable by capital punishment.
• To be able to determine and examine the effects of drug addiction to an
afflicted individual.
• To be able to discuss and know about the major contributing factors that
make an individual susceptible/predisposed to addiction