Bill to penalize financiers, suppliers of private armies

A bill filed in the Lower House seeks to stop the use and proliferation of private armies by penalizing not just the leaders and members of a private armed group, but also its protectors, financiers, and suppliers. In filing House Bill 2111 or Anti-Private Army Act of 2010, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and his brother Abante Mindanao party-list Rep. Maximo Rodriguez said private armies have long been a standing practice in the Philippines, with the government using them against communist or Muslim separatist groups. They said local politicians have also used these armed “civilian volunteers" to do their bidding, “with Manila turning a blind eye" in exchange for support during the elections. A New York Times article had stated that the Philippine government “supported local officials with private armies to help suppress insurgents and Islamic radicals, and these conflicts often become inextricably linked with clan warfare." The House bill defines a “private army" as armed men maintained by a person, such as politicians or local kingpins, outside the regular police and military forces and used for criminal activities or for protecting and advancing the political or economic interest of an individual, clan or private group. HB 2111 prohibits the following:

• maintenance and use of private armies
• use of paramilitary forces and private security agencies as private armies
• abuse of deploying military and police personnel as security detail
• abuse of various permits pertaining to firearms, and
• protection, financing, supplying or giving aid and comfort to private armies.

The bill also lays down strict penalties. A leader, protector, financier or supplier of a private army will be slapped with a prison sentence of from 12 to 20 years, or with a fine of from P200,000 to P1 million. Leaders of private armies who are also public officials will be punished with perpetual absolute disqualification from public office and subject to administrative sanctions. The bill also states that government paramilitary forces — such as the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units (CAFGU) and civilian volunteer organizations (CVO) — will be immediately dismantled if they are used as private armies or if they are no longer valuable in maintaining peace and order. Private security agencies used as private armies shall be also dismantled or disarmed and their registration canceled or revoked. The bill further states that military unit commanders and heads of law enforcement units who are negligent in dismantling private armies shall be subject to administrative sanctions. The use of private armies had been highlighted with the killing of 57 people in Maguindanao November last year. Members of the Ampatuan clan, who are now on trial for their alleged role in the massacre, reportedly used the armed civilian volunteers detailed to them to carry out the killings.—Amita O. Legaspi/JV, GMANews.TV