(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte said he would consult the Cabinet on his proposal to arm barangay chairpersons and tanods.
“..Pero ang aking proposal no heavy firearm, shotgun lang..O mga tanod siguro ninyo, .22. Basta may panlaban lang,” Duterte said in a speech in Zamboanga del Sur.
According to Duterte, the idea was to give the officials on the ground a role in the fight against criminality.
“Kung bibigyan ko kayo ng armas, fight kayo?” Duterte, who rose to the presidency on an anti-criminality and anti-corruption platform, said.
He has said there were barangay officials involved in the illegal drug trade.