The term bakal is a Filipino colloquial for gun or firearm. Oplan Bakal dates back many, many years. I remember I experienced my first Oplan Bakal operation in a nightclub in the province as a 2nd Lieutenant of the Philippine Constabulary after I had just graduated from the PMA in 1987.
Oplan Bakal is basically a police operation in an establishment, normally a bar or nightclub, where policemen enter the place unannounced and conduct a search for firearms that may be in the possession of customers or guests. It is a surprise search so that gun-wielding guests or customers can be caught red-handed.
As we all know, and as clearly posted in the entrances of bars and clubs, firearms are not allowed inside the establishments.
Unknown to many, Oplan Bakal is welcome to club and bar management and owners who give police prior approval without knowing when the operation will be conducted because Oplan Bakal helps ensure the safety of the majority of the customers and the club personnel themselves.
In fact, on many occasions, it is the club or bar owner who discreetly requests for an operation on his premises, especially if he is aware that indeed a customer or two bring a gun inside the premises. In conducting Oplan Bakal, police basically request guests to stand up so that they can see if a gun is tucked in their waists, or if anything is suspiciously bulging underneath their clothes.
The police also request – and not force – the guests to open their bags, so the authorities can see if there might be a firearm or deadly weapon inside. The customer may or may not open his or her bag. Again, the customer is not forced to do anything. However, anyone who hesitates to heed the request can give the impression that contraband is being concealed.
The standard operating procedure also requires that all the lights in the place are turned on, the presence of the police and their purpose is clearly announced by the management over the sound system, and the cooperation of the customers is requested. When police arrive, performers on stage are politely requested to stop their performance so that the appropriate announcement can be made. This is to keep customers grom getting alarmed by the sudden arrival of uniformed policemen.
Oplan Bakal is not conducted in schools, offices, hospitals, parties, or even restaurants. Oplan Bakal zeroes in mostly on bars, pubs, nightclubs and similar establishments where alcohol is served.
The premise is very basic. People go to bars, pubs, and clubs to drink beer or other alcoholic beverages. Thus, some people get drunk and get out of hand. People mostly drink for two reasons – either to have fun or to forget their problems.
In forgetting their problems, there lies the dangerous side of drinking. Mostly, problematic customers get drunk and hot around the collar, become belligerent, and start trouble. Squabbles or spats in a bar or pub where everyone is hot and loose can be explosive. In many instances, especially when problematic guests encounter other problematic guests, when one or both are carrying firearms, innocent, fun-loving customers and guests can get hurt or killed.
I do not have the exact figures right now, but I am sure hundreds have died due to squabbles, fights or insane actions by guests inside bars, pubs, and clubs. One indicator is the notoriety in recent years of Frank Sinatra’s song, “My Way,” where so many have been shot and killed for singing the song in sing-along bars and karaoke.
Oplan Bakal is a good deterrence to such unfortunate incidents that have claimed the lives of many innocent victims who only wanted to have fun or a good time in a bar. Oplan Bakal is, therefore, far from what some quarters call a violation of one’s right to privacy where police must first secure a search warrant to conduct it. The law clearly authorizes this common sense police procedure which prevents gunplay or worse in bars, and also apprehends holders of contraband. – Rappler.com
Police Chief Superintendent Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar is the Quezon City Police District director. You may contact him at odd_qcpd@yahoo.com.ph.