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10 private armies dismantled; crackdown continues
At least 10 private armed groups have been dismantled across the country since the government launched a crackdown on such organizations following the Nov. 23 massacre in Maguindanao province, police said on Monday. Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina, spokesman of Philippine National Police (PNP), said most of the disbanded groups came from Region IV-A, which is composed of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon. Espina attributed the neutralization of the private armed groups to more aggressive police operations and to the installation of more checkpoints nationwide to enforce a nationwide gun-ban in preparation for the May 10 elections. He also said that although suspected private armies were arrested in Masbate province, the group was not yet disbanded because its leaders and other members are still at large. Last January, the government formed the Zeñarosa Commission, a body chaired by Court of Appeals Associate Justice Monina Arevalo Zeñarosa, to lead the campaign against private armies across the country. The creation of the commission was in response to calls which were triggered by the massacre of 57 people in Ampatuan town that was carried out allegedly by members of the private army of the powerful Ampatuan clan. Espina said 89 private armed groups are active in the country, 25 of which are based in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). “We are always separating the ARMM because we have been using different template there in our operation to dismantle PAGs there. ARMM PAGs require more of a combat operation while those outside the region needs only special operations," he said. Citing intelligence information and PNP records, Espina also said Lanao del Norte has the most number of private armed groups with nine, followed by Pangasinan with six and Zamboanga Sibugay, Western Samar, Masbate, Iloilo and Cagayan with four each. For the ARMM, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have the most number with 10 and seven, respectively. Basilan, meanwhile, has four, while Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur have two each, although they have the largest membership, with 1,166 and 800, respectively. Other provinces confirmed to have private armed groups are:
- La Union, Nueva Ecija and Pampanga with three each;
- Isabela, Cavite, Negros Oriental and Eastern Samar with two each;
- Ilocos Norte, Abra, Bulacan, Batangas, Quezon, Rizal, Negros Occidental, Bohol, Northern Samar, Northern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat and Agusan del Sur with one each.
