PNP ordered to dismantle private armies nationwide

Signaling the start of a nationwide crackdown, Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa has ordered tactical police units to go after private armies in their jurisdictions. In a directive to the Directorate for Operations, Verzosa instructed the PNP Regional and Provincial Mobile Groups to dismantle and neutralize all known private armed groups that are widely believed protected by local warlords and politicians. "I have designated the Regional and Provincial Mobile Groups to spearhead our campaign to run after and dismantle all private armed groups in the country, especially in places considered by the PNP as election areas of concern," Verzosa said. According to him, the campaign shall ensure that the massacre of 57 people in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao will never happen again anywhere, especially in the run-up to next year’s national elections. Unit commanders are instructed to identify and if warranted, prosecute all persons or members of these groups including their maintainers, benefactors or political patrons; and to account for and confiscate all firearms in their possession and control, Verzosa said. The operational control of police mobile groups, which had been under the regional directors, was transferred to the Directorate for the Integrated Police Operations (DIPO) last November 15, a week before the Ampatuan carnage. Also, Verzosa said that the move was meant to ensure and maintain the neutrality of all PNP units during the election period. The PNP has created five DIPOs, an integrated geographical police command which has supervision on operational matters over three or more police regional offices. These are DIPOs for Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, and Eastern and Western Mindanao. "Even before the massacre in Ampatuan town happened, the PNP had already put in place several measures to ensure the conduct of HOPE or honest, orderly, peaceful elections next year," Verzosa said. He added that it was "so unfortunate that the tragedy in Ampatuan occurred last month before all the measures were in place." In July, the PNP conducted a multi-agency national firearms summit which gave birth to the National Firearms Control Program. Versoza claimed that the program could minimize the proliferation of guns and rationalize gun ownership in the country as well as enable the PNP to account for loose and undocumented firearms in the hands of unauthorized civilians and threat groups. He also proposed to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) not to issue election gun ban exemptions to gun owners, including policemen. He added that the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have established a Joint Security Control Committees (JSCC) in the national, regional, provincial, city and municipal levels that will ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections in May 2010. - LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV