RES GESTAE
Armed tanods for peace and order
Tanods (or members of the Civilian Volunteers Organization) are indispensable, particularly, on matters affecting the peace and order situation of the barangays.
The barangay tanods have a mandate greater than an ordinary citizen. They compose the basic "law enforcement" unit of every locality. They are our frontliners in peacekeeping efforts. And, for decades, they become our first responders for police assistance and crime incidents. This is so because they are closer to the community than our policemen.
The creation of tanods as force multipliers in the law enforcement efforts is anchored on the fact that our police are not omnipresent to protect our people. The ratio of the residents and the police demands a support system, like the activation and organization of tanods .
Tanods have contributed much on throwing away criminals. And, their functions inevitably expose them to dangers inherent in any law enforcement operation. Being our men in first line of the defense, they could be injured or lost their lives.
Tanods, like the PNP, are no superheroes. But, like superheroes, they have great responsibilities to carry out with. They took the oath to serve and protect the community, above and foremost of their own personal interests.
However, with their truncheons and handcuffs alone, they are not formidable. They are in fact vulnerable to harassment. They may be killed in the course of their operations.
These are things which the Iloilo City Council, business sectors and other groups failed to consider when they opposed Police Chief Superintendent Dulay's plan to issue shotgun to selected tanods, especially in crime prone areas in Iloilo City.
They have postulated that arming the tanods would not only increase incidents of indiscriminate firing but also imply the inefficiency, if not incompetence, of the police to deter crimes.
I don't agree with either of the contentions. I don't think Dulay will implement the project without training well the tanods in the use of guns. Dulay knows the risk and so with the measures to reduce it.
Recently, there were reports of robbery incidents, one in La Paz and another in Oton, among others. And these were not isolated cases. In past months, robberies transpired left and right, morning and night. Burglars are on the loose. They attack in no time.
We may blame the police for the perils. But, pointing our fingers on who is accountable would not solve the problem. Instead, we must devise a system or enhance what is already in place.
The tanod system has long been established. The only challenge is how to bolster its effectiveness in the deterrence of crimes and other threats to peace and order.
Dulay's proposal on arming the tanods with shotgun is a way of bolstering its capability to fight criminalities. Shotgun would give our tanods confidence and security when conducting beat patrol within their jurisdiction.
The contention is premised on the presumption that most criminals are armed with guns when perpetrating their nefarious activities.
Hence, once our tanods are also equipped with guns, burglars and other criminals may think seven times before committing the crime. So, why don't we support the arming of tanods when this would mean a more peaceful and orderly barangay for our people?
(Send your comments and suggestion to rogatepnp@yahoo.com or text 09178853564. Other articles of the author are available at www.resgestaeandstudents.blogspot.com.)