DILG enlists barangays in fighting terrorism
Bacolod City (26 October) -- The 41,000 strong barangays throughout the country is now being tapped to fight terrorism augmenting government authorities according to Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno.
He said the barangays' role is essential in identifying members in their community and reporting suspicious activities taking place in their area.
More than 37,000 of the country's 41,972 barangays have already organized their own Barangay Peace and Order Committee, he said.
Mindanao, the site of most of bombing incidents in the country, is seen to benefit from the scheme as Sec. Puno urged governors, mayors and other local leaders to take the lead in mobilizing communities against the global scourge.
Mindanao has a total of 10,042 barangays, its barangay "tanods" with the civilian volunteer organizations were identified to team-up with the police as "force multiplier."
"We can fight terrorism not only by reinforcing the operational and logistical capability of our police and military but also by preventing its occurrence through simple information-gathering and monitoring," the DILG chief said. (PIA-LOL) [top]
