By Leilanie Adriano
SAN NICOLAS – The local government in this Ilocos Norte town is set to form a watch group composed of representatives from various sectors to be trained as force multipliers to combat illegal acts in the municipality.
Interviewed on Monday, Mayor Edmar Vincent Bonoan said the group, to be called Bantay Bayan (neighborhood watch), will complement the continuing efforts of the police to ensure peace and order in the area.
“We are allocating funds for this in the 2026 budget,” Bonoan said, adding that Bantay Bayan personnel will be deployed with proper training as traffic enforcers, rescuers and environmental law officers, among others.
“They will be tapped for multi-purpose functions, including inspecting vendors without business permits and those without building permits,” the mayor said.
According to Bonoan, the establishment of Bantay Bayan will be a priority program under his administration, in addition to the ongoing installation of more CCTVs around the municipality.
This comes following the fatal shooting of village councilor Joshua Madamba, 27 years old, and his partner, Eloisa Jane Bonilla, 30, on Sunday afternoon.
The suspect in the killing, a police corporal assigned to the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office, was arrested after the shooting. (PNA)
