Tomas wants guns for brgy tanods

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City South District Representative Tomas Osmeña said he will ask the Department of the Interior and Local Government to allow barangay tanods in Cebu City to carry guns for them to be more active in helping the police maintain the peace and order.

Osmeña said he will request DILG Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas to make Cebu City as the pilot area of this project and once it will be proven to be effective it will be implemented in other local government units.

The mayoralty aspirant said that using the tanods as peace officers by arming them is the answer to the long-time problem of lack of policemen because the government cannot hire any more.

The basic monthly salary of a low-ranking policeman is about P18,000 while tanods only receive honoraria.

Some of the barangays in Cebu City only give a monthly honorarium to its tanods ranging from P500 to P3,000 that prompted the city to grant additional cash assistance.

Osmeña said all tanods should be required to undergo training on law enforcement, specifically the proper handling of firearms to make them more effective in their jobs.

“I don’t understand why the government allows the security guards to carry guns while the tanods are not,” said Osmeña.

But while Osmeña is recommending that tanods be allowed to carry guns, he suggested they can only do so within the territorial jurisdictions of their respective barangays.

He remembered that during the term of his father Sergio “Serging” Osmeña as mayor, the city had 1,000 policemen, now the city has over 9,000 policemen and it is still not enough to police the city.

The FREEMAN also learned that while several tanods in Cebu City just use nightsticks to defend themselves during operations, others have unlicensed guns.

“Nindot kaayo na ang plano ni Tommy nga matugotan kaming tanod nga maisyuhan og armas kay risgo kaayo namo nga moresponde og armed person nga kami walay pusil,” a tanod of Barangay Sto. Niño said.   (FREEMAN)