A SENIOR member of the city council said he is not opposed to the revival of Bantay Dagupan, a group of private citizens organized to help the police patrol the streets, as long as the city government makes certain that its members are not armed and monitored against abusive behavior.

Councilor Alfie Fernandez, assistant majority floor leader and council’s chairman of the peace and order committee, said the move to restore Bantay Dagupan, first formed in 2004 by then Mayor Benjamin Lim, is noble but recalled how one member was reported to be brandishing an M-16 armalite while on patrol.

Fernandez said that instance was personally witnessed by then Councilor Michael Fernandez.

That incident prompted the eventual disbandment of Bantay Dagupan.

The SP passed a resolution last week calling on Mayor Belen Fernandez to revive Bantay Dagupan due to what its author, Councilor Jose Netu Tamayo, calls “rising crimes against persons and properties in the city”.

Tamayo’s wife was robbed and beaten by unidentified suspects after withdrawing money from an unguarded Automated Teller Machine (ATM) of a bank branch on Perez Boulevard last month.

“It is up to Mayor Fernandez to decide whether there is a pressing need to revive Bantay Dagupan and if she does, she must select citizens of good reputation and standing in the community as members of the group,” said Councilor Fernandez, a lawyer.

He stressed that the city must avoid the same problems in 2004 when members of Bantay Dagupan were behaving as if they were policemen themselves.

BARANGAY FORCE

However, Mayor Ferenandez’s initial reaction was to seek additional policemen to be assigned in Dagupan to beef up the present manpower and increase police visibiltiy.

P/Supt. Christopher Abrahano, chief of police, earlier said there is not enough policemen in Dagupan to be fanned out in the 31 barangays of the city.

At the same time, Liga ng mga Barangay chairman Lino Fernandez called on his fellow barangay chairmen to direct their respective village security forces  to intensify their ‘ronda’ system to check on rising crimes.

He said the barangays have their own funds to support an intensified ‘ronda’ system, for which the mayor has expressed support.

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