DND seeks to professionalize militia forces

The Department of Defense (DND) is currently in the process of professionalizing thousands of government militiamen employed to augment military forces in the countryside. DND spokesman Eduardo Batac announced this at a press conference on the eve of the first anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre where militiamen were among the suspects. There are more or less 50,000 militiamen – or members of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) – currently under the command of local infantry divisions of the Philippine Army. “Right now, what the [Armed Forces of the Philippines] is doing is we are taking steps so that we professionalize these CAFGU units that are part and partial of the defense structure of our country," Batac said. “We’ll see to it that we recruit them properly, we train them properly and see to it that they are supervised and should be beyond the influence of politicians," he added. On November 23, 2009, local policemen and government militiamen shot dead 57 people, most of them journalists, in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao allegedly upon orders by a scion of the powerful Ampatuan clan. The gunmen were allegedly serving as private armies of the Ampatuan family. Batac said there are efforts to have CAFGU units placed under the control of the Special Forces Regiment, an elite unit of the Army. “The special CAFGU units will be organized under special command, and so far the discussions is leading towards the incorporation of these CAFGU units under the Special Forces," he said. Batac justified the existence of CAFGU units against calls by progressive and leftist organizations to dismantle government militia forces. He said these forces are vital in ensuring security in areas that are cleared of enemy presence. - KBK, GMANews.TV