Monday, September 17, 2007

Tanods to get allowances

By: Bernadette E. Tamayo - Journal

BARANGAY tanods deserve to get monetary allowances.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. stressed this yesterday even as he filed a bill authorizing the grant of P500 monthly allowance to barangay tanods.

Tanods are barangay residents who render voluntary services to maintain peace and order in the community.

Pimentel said the allowance to be provided by the national government under the Annual General Appropriations Act should be in addition to, and separate from, any other form of remuneration that barangay tanods may receive from their respective cities and municipalities.

“This is in recognition of the vital contributions of tanods in delivering basic services to the residents of the barangay. They regularly patrol the streets of the village especially at night when burglars, kidnappers and other criminal elements usually ply their nefarious activities,” the senator said.

Under Senate Bill 1529, every barangay unit should enlist the services of a maximum of 10 barangay tanods whose names and dates of service should be properly recorded and forwarded to the city/municipal authorities by the barangay secretary or the chairman for monitoring.

Under Pimentel’s bill, funds will be released to the barangay which should create a trust fund for this purpose. The barangay will then release the allowances of barangay tanods.

”Initially, the amount necessary for the implementation of the allowance proposal shall be funded out of the appropriation of the Department of Interior and Local Gvernment under the current GAA. Thereafter, this item shall be included in the succeeding GAA,” he said.

”The secretary of the DILG, in consultation with the Liga ng mga Barangay, should within 30 days from effectivity of this Act, issue such rules and regulations necessary for the proper implementation of the provisions of this legislation,” Pimentel said.

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