COMMUNITY HELP. A barangay watcher in Pagalungan, Cagayan de Oro City leads fellow village workers in reciting the pledge of duty in this 2022 file photo. Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan has proposed the grant of Christmas bonuses and other incentives to village watchers in recognition of their roles in maintaining peace and order. (Contributed file photo)
MANILA – A party-list lawmaker has proposed the grant of Christmas bonuses and other incentives to the country’s barangay tanod (village watchers) in recognition of their role in maintaining peace and order in communities.
In a statement on Tuesday, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Brian Yamsuan said the goal of House Bill (HB) 10909 is to upgrade the benefits of watchers and provide them with sufficient protection against possible risks.
“Members of the barangay tanod brigades serve as public safety officers in our communities. We hardly notice them as they carry out their task of keeping our homes and streets safe, especially at night when most of the community is resting,” Yamsuan said.
“They are, at times, exposed to criminal elements and other dangerous threats to the community, yet the benefits they receive are not commensurate with the risks they face every day,” he added.
Under the measure, barangay tanod would be provided with various benefits, including Christmas bonuses equivalent to at least half of what the punong barangay (village chair) is receiving, along with free legal assistance and insurance coverage.
HB 10909 also seeks to prioritize the inclusion of barangay tanod in livelihood programs initiated by either the national government or the local government units (LGUs).
Yamsuan said the insurance benefits shall be equivalent to three-fourths of that received by the punong barangay.
The insurance coverage includes temporary and total and permanent incapacity or disability; double indemnity; injuries resulting from accident; and death and burial benefits as provided under Republic Act Nos. 6942 (An Act Increasing the Insurance Benefits of Local Government Officials) or 7160 (Local Government Code), whichever is higher.
To qualify, village watchers should have rendered continuous service for at least one year in the same barangay.
The bill also protects the tenure of barangay tanod, who shall not be removed or terminated except for causes enumerated in the barangay resolution creating the barangay tanod brigade.
Under the measure, the decision to remove a barangay tanod for cause shall rest upon the decision of the Sangguniang Barangay (village council). (PNA)
