(MANILA TIMES) SEN. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada filed a bill that seeks to grant a P1,000 monthly hazard pay to all duly-appointed barangay tanod (village watchmen).
The senator said on Monday that village watchmen deserve such an incentive given their role in ensuring peace and order in the community.
Senate Bill (SB) 794 “acknowledges their significant contribution in maintaining peace and order in their locality by providing them with incentives while they continue to carry out official tasks,” he added.
Estrada, a San Juan City resident for 30 years before getting elected as senator in 2004, noted that while village watchmen receive the same benefits as other village officials, they are given “measly honoraria or allowances amounting to at least P600 monthly.”
“As frontliners, they should receive adequate support and treatment from the government. There is no doubt that they deserve to be given such an incentive,” he added.
Funding for the hazard pay should initially be sourced from the budget of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, while its subsequent implementation will be included in the budgets of local government units.
“As frontliners, they stayed late at night, just like what we witnessed at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.