Arming village chiefs

Gov. Hilario Davide III supports it. Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Noli Taliño is also supporting the proposal. The question now is whether barangay captains are for it. Do they want to possess a gun for self-defense?

The proposal to arm barangay captains was made following the recent killing by motorcycle-riding men of Mantuyong, Mandaue barangay captain Antonio Maquilan. The suspects were actually only able to hit Maquilan in the leg but he died nevertheless due to cardiac arrest. The hunt for the assailants continues.

But it’s not that similar proposals have not been made before by sectors aggrieved by the killing of one of their own. Proposals to arm judges, lawyers, media people, etc. were made every time a judge, a lawyer or a media person, was killed. More often than not, however, those proposals do not go anywhere.

This is because opinions on the matter differ among the sector sought to be armed. While Davide and Taliño support the proposal, do the barangay captains want to avail themselves of it? It’s like when the idea of arming media persons was discussed. They are divided on the matter.

In the end, bearing arms should be the personal decision of the individual barangay captain. While there are those who feel that they can better defend themselves if they possess a gun, others consider it a burden, especially because of the stringent regulations the government imposes on gun holders.

And guns can only be effective for self-defense depending on how good the gun holder is. The barangay captain must be willing to shoot and hit those they are aiming at. Together with that willingness is the awareness of their responsibilities as gun holders.

Possessing a gun may give barangay captains a chance to defend themselves but eventually the best deterrent against assaults on their persons is effective leadership. That includes attending well to their mandated tasks of providing basic services to their constituents, specifically maintaining law and order. As they say, guns do not kill people; people do.