Amnesty Int’l tells Noy to rescind plan of deploying militias in mining sites

The Philippine government should rescind its plan of deploying civilian militias to augment security at private mining operations, Amnesty International said.

President Aquino approved the military’s proposal on Oct. 12 after forces from insurgent group New People’s Army (NPA) attacked mining operations at Surigao del Norte province in northern Mindanao, killing three private security guards.

Amnesty International said that such militias, including the Citizens’ Armed Forces Geographical Units (Cafgus), have a long record of human rights violations in the Philippines. According to the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, Cafgus have been responsible for arbitrary detention, torture, and killings of local community leaders.

Moreover, the use of such militias at remote mining areas has put Indigenous People at particular risk, according to the UN special rapporteur on indigenous issues.

Amnesty International said the military cannot ensure proper discipline and accountability for the militias and paramilitary groups, creating an environment conducive to human rights violations. Aquino’s decision to deploy militias compounds this problem, in which some Cafgu called the Special CAFGU Active Auxiliary Units (Scaa), will be seconded to private entities to secure their interests.

While the Scaa will be equipped and managed by the military, they will be on the payroll of the mining firms.

According to media reports, an initial batch of 200 Scaa will begin work with two mining corporations, while additional Scaa units will be deployed upon the request of other mining firms.

Some Cafgu will be deployed under the military and some under the police. According to an army spokesperson, the military has also trained 41 Scaa units of 100 personnel each.

Amnesty International emphasized that the Philippine government itself would remain responsible for human rights violations committed by militias which the military has trained, equipped and deployed, even if they are securing private interests of mining corporations.

The mining corporations should consider the risk of complicity incurred by companies that have financed militias who commit serious human rights violations, Amnesty International said.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hierarchy is seriously mulling over the proposed deployment of special Cafgus within mining sites in Surigao del Norte to avoid possible abuse in the move, apparently in the aftermath of the massive attack by NPA in three major mining compounds in the area last Oct. 3.

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. said the military is considering the activation of Scaas in mining sites in Barangay Taganito, Claver town, Surigao del Norte as proposed by two private companies victimized by the atrocities.

Oban said he already directed the Army leadership to study the matter.

“We are now processing that… they have presented to us or forwarded to us their request and now we have to task the Army to engage the particular mining corporations… in terms of preference which will be laid properly and the appropriate control mechanisms will also be in place,” Oban said.

The military is extra-cautious over the employment of Scaas following the Maguindanao massacre in 2009 that killed 57 civilians, most of them media practitioners, perpetrated by Scaas being maintained by the powerful Ampatuan clan. The Scaas in the province were subsequently disbanded.

Oban, however, stressed that Scaas could be used as “force multipliers” for government security agencies to cover more areas, particularly those infested by communist NPA rebels.

The AFP chief explained that since 1986 the number of the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) combined is 250,000 with the country’s population then at 50,000 million.

“We are nearly 100 million and still the number of our security, both AFP and PNP is still 250,000…so to extend, as multiplier to our forces, then we will consider Scaas,” Oban said.

In employing Scaas, the military would have to train the civilian volunteers but the requesting private companies would have to provide firearms, uniforms and, in some cases, subsistence allowance to the recruits. A Scaa unit will be headed by a regular soldier.

Last Oct. 3, more or less 200 NPA rebels swooped down on the compounds of Taganito Mining Corp. and its sister company, the THPAL, and the Platinum Group Metal Corp. in Claver town, burning more than P2 billion worth of properties.

The incident, considered as one of the biggest single attack staged by the NPA, left President Aquino frustrated over the PNP and the AFP. Senior police and military commanders in Surigao del Norte were sacked.

Oban said that intensified pursuit operations against the NPAs are still continuing, not only in Caraga Region but in other parts of the country.

“We continue with the focus military operation most particularly in areas identified as strongholds of the New People’s Army,” Oban said.

There have been numerous clashes between government troops and NPA rebels in various parts of the country, including in Abra province where nine communist rebels were killed last Tuesday. –Daily Tribune with reports by Mario J. Mallari