Presidential hopeful Montemayor says no EJKs, tokhang if he wins in Eleksyon 2022

Presidential candidate and cardiologist Dr. Jose Montemayor Jr. said there will be no extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and no tokhang-style campaign against illegal drugs under his administration.

Montemayor said he will address the problem of illegal drugs with "compassion."

“We will address ang napakapervasive na droga, we will address that but with compassion. Walang EJKs, tanggalin natin yung tokhang, nakakatakot kumakatatok pa lang may namamatay na. Alisin po natin yan,” he said on the Campaign S.A.F.E. Comelec e-Rally Channel aired on Saturday.

(We will address the very pervasive drug problem. We will address that, but with compassion. No EJKs. I will remove tokhang. It is scary that a person will die after somebody knocks on their door. Let us get rid of that.)

“Pagmamahal ang ibigay natin (Let us give love),” he added.

Tokhang, derived from the Cebuano words "toktok-hangyo" meaning knock and plead, refers to the Philippine National Police's Oplan Tokhang, part of the Oplan Double Barrel introduced in 2016 by then PNP chief and now Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa.

Under Oplan Tokhang, police officers visit the houses of suspected drug personalities and ask them to mend their ways. Many drug personalities surrendered in tokhang operations but there were deaths as some reportedly fought back against state security forces.

The International Criminal Court temporarily halted its probe on the Duterte administration’s bloody campaign against illegal drugs after the Philippines requested the tribunal to defer to Manila's investigation.

President Rodrigo Duterte maintained that he would only face a Philippine court with a Filipino judge, and if convicted, would choose to be imprisoned in Muntinlupa.

COVID-19 response

Montemayor vowed that he would allocate funds for public and private hospitals amid challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said he would provide support for the healthcare workers.

The presidential candidate also said he would end lockdowns and abolish the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), the government's policy-making body on COVID-19 response.

“Yung mga lockdown alisin natin, iabrogate natin, alisin na natin ang IATF. Ginugulo lang tayong mga Pilipino, nagpopolarize, nagdidivide, tatanggalin na po natin 'yan. Yung mga checkpoint ang magmaman dyan doctor at mga nurses para automatic ginagamot pa lang dun na sa checkpoint,” he said.

(We will remove the lockdowns, we will abrogate them, we will remove the IATF. They only confuse, polarize, and divide Filipinos. We will remove that. Doctors and nurses will be stationed at the checkpoints to provide immediate treatment.)

The presidential candidate stated that he will not have any government advisers and that he can "balance any situation."

“Yung ating mga katunggali kailangan ng adviser, ako po hindi. Ako po ay isang abogado, cardiologist, economist so we can balance any situation,” he said.

(Our rivals need an adviser, but I do not need one. I'm a lawyer, cardiologist, and economist so we can balance any situation.)

West Philippine Sea

Montemayor said that he will work with other countries regarding the West Philippine Sea issue.

“Maging matapang tayo we will join in other organizations, i-strengthen natin yung ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) at saka yung mga leader powers,” he said.

(Let us be brave, we will join other organizations, we will strengthen ASEAN and other major powers.)

“We will cooperate as far as the force or military solutions pero hindi ibig sabihin na magigiyera na tayo (but that does not mean we are going to war) but we have to stand, we have to be brave, we have to be courageous,” he added.

Montemayor and his running mate, Rizalito David, on Tuesday officially launched their campaign for the May 9 elections.

The tandem’s proclamation rally, held at a condominium unit in Pasay City, was marked by prayer and worship songs.

It was attended by members of Montemayor's political party Democratic Party of the Philippines and several pastors from different churches. — VBL, GMA News