File photograph from Mike Gubat.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), through the Department of National Defense (DND), is asking Congress for a budget item of more than P2 billion to fund operations of its so-called "force multipliers."
The militant group Karapatan's secretary-general, Critina Palabay, disclosed on Friday that the so-called force multipliers refer to the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) and paramilitary forces.
"Despite the killings and terror committed by its paramilitary groups, the AFP has the nerve to ask for more money to fund them," lamented Palabay, alluding to discussions at the plenary deliberations in the House of Representatives on the DND 2016 budget.
"Straight from the horse's mouth, the DND admitted there are more than 53,000 CAFGUs and paramilitary forces under its jurisdiction. The DND also revealed during the budget hearing that more than half of the CAFGU or about 30,735 are in Mindanao," she added.
Ever since, Palabay claimed. the operational budget and salaries of CAFGUs and paramilitary forces "has never been transparent in any military financial report, if there is any, which has long been suspected to be one of sources of corruption in DND and AFP."
She added that the AFP was also not transparent in reporting the exact number of its CAFGUs.
The government security establishment controls and maintains "a vast army of paramilitary groups – the Civilian Auxiliary Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU), Special Civilian Armed Auxiliary (SCAA), Investment Defense Force (IDF), and other AFP force multipliers in its counterinsurgency campaign such as Alamara, NIPAR, De la Mance group," Palabay elaborated.
These militias, Karapatan said, "are usually common suspects in the commission of human rights violations just like what's happening to Lumad communities in Mindanao."
Among these paramilitary forces were the Magahat and Bagani, which Karapatan claimed to be liable for the evacuation of almost a thousand residents from Marihatag, Surigao del Sur last week.
"Each year, more than P2 billion are allocated to the AFP for its force multipliers. The DND wants more next year. The AFP definitely wants to strengthen its paramilitary groups, instead of heeding the call to disband them, because they serve as cover for military atrocities in Lumad communities," Palabay said.
"The number of victims will definitely increase, if the AFP will be given more funds for this," Palabay underscored.
She said the military has been forcibly drawing Lumad recruits into the paramilitary groups, such as the Barangay Defense Force and the Alamara paramilitary group, as is the case allegedly in Barangay White Culaman, Kitaotao, Bukidnon and in Talaingod Davao del Norte, respectively.
"Those who refused to be recruited were automatically considered as members of the New People's Army," Palabay said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/118678/dnd-p2b-budget-seeks-more-money-for-cafgus-militias
This article is largely a commie propaganda rant against the military and its associated CAFGU units. Christina Palabay is a longtime CPP activist dating back to her days as a key officer of the CPP-linked National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) student front. KARAPATAN is a the main CPP human rights front group with chapters active nationwide.
ReplyDeleteCommie fronts routine target the CAFGU in their propaganda attacks because it challenges the ability of Maoist New People's Army units to recruit and operate at the local level.