MABALACAT CITY – Ten barangays here adjoining the perimeter fence of the Clark Freeport Zone tasked to help in maintaining the peace and security in the area are now in a quandary whether the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) will still renew their memorandum of agreement (MOA) or not.
San Joaquin Barangay Captain Davidson David said his barangay tanods have yet to receive any compensation from CDC since January for guarding the Clark perimeter fence in their area under the MOA. The previous MOA expired last December 31, 2013.
The MOA tasked the barangay tanods to safeguard the perimeter fence and assist in the control and prevention of informal settlers as well as illegal vendors and stray animals in their areas of responsibilities around the Clark perimeter fence.
The watchmen are also tasked to prevent the dumping of garbage and vandalism along the perimeter fence as well as the maintenance of the smooth flow of vehicular traffi c in some areas. Each barangay provides at least 10 village watchmen (tanods) who are supervised by the CDC’s Land Preservation Office and the Public Safety Department.
The CDC supervision includes the provision of training, orientation, assignment of duties and disciplinary or administrative actions over the village watchmen. For their part, each barangay has a resolution authorizing their chairman to enter into a MOA with the CDC.
San Francisco Barangay Captain Manuel B. Dingal said the CDC should have formally informed them of the non-renewal of their MOA instead of just ignoring their queries. Nearby Angeles City has four barangays adjoining the Clark perimeter fence with a similar MOA.
