❏ BARANGAY TANODS DESERVE MORE

CURRENTLY, the Local Government Code only mandates that barangay officials receive an honorarium worth at least P1,000 per month. In some localities, barangay tanods get no more than this statutory minimum.

Barangay tanods certainly deserve better. They are among our frontliners. During the peak of the COVID-19 community quarantines while many were isolated at home, barangay tanods were outside delivering aid, guarding community borders, and helping with contact tracing.

So it is sad that barangay tanods only receive honorarium every month even though they are full-time in servicing their barangays. Actually, it’s not just full time, they even extend their duty to the graveyard shift! Sobra pa sa pulis ila duty hours!

There is a proposal to grant second-grade civil service eligibility to tanods who have rendered at least five years of service, retirement pay equivalent to one year of honorarium, hazard allowance, subsistence allowance, training programs, career enhancement programs, insurance coverage, free medical benefits, and legal services.

Barangay tanods kuno should receive a regular monthly salary equivalent to salary grade 1 under the Salary Standardization Law (about P13,000 per month).

There are about 42,000 barangays nationwide and some of these barangays are growing in population. Each barangay is allowed to have up to 20 tanods, depending on the local needs and budget limitations.

Assuming all the 42,000 barangays have 20 tanods, there could be up to 840,000 tanods that stand to benefit from this proposal.

Say mo, Toto Irene?