Cops add embalmer to hearse tactic

Chief Insp. Jose Gesto, Guadalupe police station chief, uses police officers wearing masks to play the roles of an embalmer, PNP Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and President Rodrigo Duterte in Guadalupe police’s Oplan Bandilyo campaign (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA).

The Guadalupe police added a twist in their “hearse scare strategy” otherwise known as the “Oplan Bandilyo” campaign.

They brought along police officers playing the role of an embalmer and two other officers wearing masks of President Rodrigo Duterte and Philippine National Police Chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa in their “hearse scare operation” against drug pushers and users in their area yesterday.

These three characters emphasized the message of death to suspected drug pushers and users in the barangay who would not heed the police’s call to stop their illegal activities there.

“I hope that through this they will change, and they will stop their involvement in illegal drugs,” said Chief Insp. Jose Gesto, Guadalupe police station chief, during yesterday’s Oplan Bandilyo in the area.

“Di nato paabton nga makaabot sila ana nga point (funeral car) (Let us not allow the situation where it will reach this point (funeral car),” said Gesto, who was assigned to the Guadalupe police station last April.

Gesto also said that the hearse was part of the way to encourage drug users and personalities to surrender.

The embalmer, a police officer with a ski mask, who was wearing a sash marked embalmer and carrying an attache case which was presumed to contain the tools of his trade, also accompanied the convoy of police vehicles.

The convoy led by a hearse included police officers on bikes and three patrol cars. They made the rounds of the barangay as early as 9 a.m. which started at the police station on to the the Guadalupe Church to Sitio Kalubihan, Sitio Banawa, and back to the Police Station 6.

Since July 1, a total of 515 persons involved in illegal drugs have surrendered to the Guadalupe police.

Gesto said they were processing surrenderers daily and they continued to monitor these persons.

Gesto said Police Station 6 would implement the Oplan Bandilyo drive in their area every week.

Oplan Bandilyo is a campaign of the Philippine National Police where they employ a hearse to lead a convoy of police vehicles going to the houses of suspected drug pushers and users to warn them to stop their illegal activities or they would end up dead.

The operation had been done in areas where drug suspects in the police watch list live or in drug-infested communities.

Aside from the Guadalupe police station, Barangay Ermita also conducted their own Oplan Bandilyo yesterday.