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Private armies, coddlers to be named, charged by March


(UPDATE 4 - 9:27 pm) A panel tasked by the Arroyo administration to disband politicians’ private armies before the May 10 elections expects to identify these groups and their keepers and have them charged in court by the end of March. Dante Jimenez, a member of the Zeñarosa Commission, said their target would be to finish the investigation of dozens of private armies in less than three months and a little over a month ahead of the national and local polls. "Once we have investigated, they will be ready for prosecution. Then, we can come out with the names," Jimenez, founding chairman of the advocacy group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, told GMANews.TV in a phone interview on Friday. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo formed the body last December 8 through Administrative Order 275 after public outrage over the massacre of at least 57 people in the southern province of Maguindanao on November 23. State prosecutors have accused the Ampatuan clan and their armed followers of the crime — a charge the politicians have denied in court. The victims had accompanied Buluan town Vice Mayor Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu's wife, who was supposed to file her husband's certificate of candidacy for governor. Prime massacre suspect Andal Ampatuan, Jr. was expected to be Mangudadatu's rival for the post. [See: The Ampatuan massacre: a map and timeline] Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales earlier said there were 132 private armed groups led by politicians in various parts of the country, with a combined strength of about 10,000 armed men. Impossible Critics doubt that the commission can complete its task in time. Previous administrations that could have disbanded these armed groups have failed to do so — mainly because they have benefited from their existence. "This is nothing new. It's the same directive issued administration after administration. It is impossible...They will have to dismantle the same armies that have been supporting incumbent politicians," Bobby Tuazon, director for policy study of the nongovernment Center for People Empowerment in Governance, told GMANews.TV in a phone interview on Friday. "They would have to go after the political dynasties. That's tantamount to war," added Tuazon. Joel Rocamora, executive director of the Institute for Popular Democracy, agrees. He said the commission's four-month deadline to dismantle private armies "is completely unrealistic." "That is high in the sky...Hindi naman kaya 'yan. (They won't be able to do it)," he told GMANews.TV in another phone interview. Patronage politics Sometimes, private armies augment government security forces, and help defend communities threatened by communist or Muslim insurgents. But critics have noted that they also keep local politicians in power by intimidating their rivals and supporters. Local warlords have also used the threat of violence to ensure the election of national politicians, who return the favor by patronizing the warlords and condoning illegal acts of their private armies. The Ampatuan clan, for one, was allied with the Arroyo administration, at least until the slaughter, when the ruling party promptly ended the alliance. Once the Zeñarosa Commission decides which armed groups to dissolve, it can do no more than recommend how this should be done. The panel is headed by Court of Appeals Associate Justice Monina Arevalo and its members are, aside from Jimenez, Herman Basbaño, president of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas; retired Brig. Gen. Jaime Echevarria of the Association of Generals and Flag Officers; retired police deputy director Virtus Gil; Butuan Catholic Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos; and Mahmod Mala Adilao of the Bishop Ulama Conference. The commission met for the first time at the Mabini Hall of Malacañan Palace earlier this week. Its members have since agreed to meet every other day at the Court of Appeals in Manila. According to Basbaño, commission spokesman, a lawyer and support staff have been designated to help the panel. — with reports from Carmela Lapeña/ARCS/HGS/NPA, GMANews.TV
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