Private armed groups not easy to dismantle , says NPA spokesman
TACLOBAN CITY — The existence of private armed groups in the region would not be easy to dismantle because those behind in the organization of these private armed groups were supporters and allies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
So said the spokesperson of the Arnulfo Ortiz Command of the New People’s Army operating in Samar province.
“The Arroyo government pays lip service to dismantling private armies and stopping election violence,” Ka Vicente Magbuhat, spokesperson of the Arnulfo Ortiz Command, in an emailed statement, said.
“The reality is that these private armies are often composed of paramilitaries from the Civilian Volunteer Organization (CVO) and Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU). Additionally, there are also criminal elements involved – although more often than not, criminals and CVO/CAFGU are one and the same. There are also regular police and military elements who are hired by certain politicians,” Magbuhat added.
The issue on private armed groups came to the fore due to the mass murder tragedy in Maguindanao wherein 57 persons, 30 of them members of the media, were killed by an armed group believed to be controlled by the powerful political clan in the province, the Ampatuans.
The Ampatuans are political allies of the President.
Here in the region, the regional police headquarters are monitoring the activities of the private armed groups as part of their measure to ensure a peaceful and orderly conduct of the 2010 elections.
On Monday, a soldier was wounded during an armed battle with a private armed group in Barangay Baril, San Isidro town, Leyte. One of the members of the said private armed group was killed during the encounter. A source claimed that the private armed group was being maintained by a landed family in the said town.
Magbuhat said that private armed groups operating in Samar provinces were said to be responsible for various killings, harassment and extortion activities.
He added that these private armed groups are being maintained by local politicians.
“The private armies are thriving because these are merely extensions of government forces and thus also serve as instruments of political repression. It is thus farcical for the police and military in the region to talk about doing away with these private armies – and in fact, many of their own personnel are closely involved,” Magbuhat said.
“As far as the NPA is concerned, any politician who wishes to campaign inside the revolutionary territories can only bring a certain number of security detail as defined by the revolutionary government. They cannot bring their private armies to terrorize the people into voting for them. Security details that exceed regulation, as well as armed groups that harass the people in behalf of politicians running for office, are subject to arrest and confiscation of weapons by the NPA,” he added. (JOEY A. GABIETA)
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