Province hails Buluangan tanod

Tanod ng Bayan. Desiderio Enarciso explains how 

their team of 20 tanods works for a barangay 

with a population of almost 2,000. 

A tanod from Barangay Buluangan bagged the top award of the Provincial Search for Outstanding Tanod 2012.

Desiderio Enarciso, a 48-year old chief tanod from Buluangan, will also be competing at the regional level and will be evaluated on August 1 to 2.

Enarciso is a former jeepney driver to his own unit but now owns a sari-sari store in Barangay Buluangan proper. He was also a volunteer worker for a non-government organization that monitors civil agencies under the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC).

Not only peacekeeping

In 2008, he became a tanod and within a few months became the leader of 19 tanods in their barangay. Then he started implementing programs outside the usual peacekeeping duties of tanods such as coastal clean-up every third Sunday of the month that covers the entire coastal area of Buluangan.

Buluangan Barangay Captain Helen Geopano said that Enarciso and the other tanods are very keen on setting good example on ecological solid waste management.

The tanods also plant trees and had planted roughly a thousand.

Trainings

Enarciso is keen on applying the techniques and skills taught to them during seminars and trainings. He constantly re-echoes these trainings to his team members who come from the 32 sitios of Buluangan. He added that since they gained skills, the crime rate in their barangay decreased and their only problem now is illegal gambling. 

City Mayor Gerardo Valmayor, Jr. who the broke the happy news, saw the importance of these courses for tanods and said that another training for them is being ironed before the year ends.

Serving the public

Despite the meager

P 950 allowance he gets every month both from the barangay fund and the city, Enarciso said that he does not mind because he wants to serve the public as he did when he was an NGO volunteer. He is only grateful that he and his wife also have a small enterprise to rely on.

"Bilang public servant, gaserbisyo lang ko. Gusto ko nga motabang lang ko sa tawo."

Tanod skills

As peacekeepers of the community, he believes that a barangay tanod should have a good background in self-defense, must know how to negotiate, and should be courageous in approaching different situations that require his attention. Tanods often attend to complaints like quarrels among neighbors so his ability to calmly deal with people comes in handy.

"Dili lang sa report daugon, kinahanglan sa lihok."

He said as a way of advice to fellow tanods although he admits that the coming evaluation also makes him nervous.

Aside from Enarciso, Barangay V tanods also won top prize for the group category and will compete for the regional level.