Philippines panel tasked with dismantling private armies formed

Manila : President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the creation of a high level commission that will be given the task of dismantling private armed groups controlled by political clans.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said Arroyo issued the order as early as Thursday in response to an escalation of political violence ahead of the May 2010 elections.

The directive was only made public early evening Friday.

“The PNP (Philippine National Police) and the Commission on Elections have already identified election hot spots that need vigilant monitoring and surveillance,” Puno, for his part, said.

Remonde said Arroyo had issued the order on the basis of a recommendation given by the National Security Council.

Puno explained that during elections, the PNP has always been under the direct supervision and guidance of the Commission on Elections (Comelec.)

As to why a commission had to be created to dismantle private armed groups, Remonde said this “will give focus and emphasis and put more teeth and impetus to the President’s desire to ensure a fair, clean, honest and orderly elections in 2010.”

Puno added that the creation of the commission will insure transparency in the dismantling of private armed groups since it would involve the different institutions of government.

Remonde said the commission will be headed by a retired justice of the Supreme Court, whom he refused to name “pending notification and acceptance (of our invitation)."

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said the creation of the commission will take off from the authorities’ investigation on the November 23 massacre in Maguindanao and “the political dimension on how the massacre transpired and the involvement of several para-military groups, police personnel and government-armed and trained militiamen under the Civilian Volunteers Organisation (CVO)."

The massacre in Maguindanao is considered as one of the worse in the country’s history and the most brutal in the annals of press freedom worldwide as 30 journalists were killed in a single incident.

Aside from the journalists, a total 57 civilians had been killed in the massacre, including two lawyers, several relatives of a politician running for governor as well as motorists.

“This commission -- which will still be composed -- will not just look into dismantling but the political and historical, socio-economic reasons for these groups with the end in view of addressing the root of the phenomenon,” Remonde said.

Puno said the government will work at dismantling all private armies. “We are not favouring any group in this.”

Verzosa said there are still existing private armies in Maguindanao. “We can see that it is a very big private armed group that perpetrated the massacre. We already charged Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. and we have also identified 12 suspects. The Department of Justice is investigating them. This is organized criminal group that perpetrated the massacre.”

Andal Jr is considered as among the main suspects in the massacre as well as other members of the Ampatuan clan.

Remonde and Puno issued the statement also after authorities raided the residence of Andal Jr. in Shariff Aguak town

Among the items seized from the house were several heavy weapons such as recoilless rifles and mortars as well as other high-powered weapons, which Versoza said are enough in quantity and firepower “to arm one battalion” of soldiers.