CAFGUs, holding their grounds

NPA fighters attack CAFGU detachment in Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY - At least 16 heavily armed New People’s Army (NPA) rebels attacked the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) detachment under the Army’s 23rd Battalion in Barangay Bontulan, Molave, Zamboanga del Sur at midnight last Wednesday, a belated report reaching the Armed Forces Southern Command (AFPSouthcom) stated.

The report said that the NPA group attacked the outpost and engaged the lawmen in a firefight for 15 minutes before withdrawing to the forested areas of the barangay.

There were no reports of any casualty on both sides. The military and militiamen failed to find any slain rebel at the site.

Some of the attackers might have been injured. This was indicated by bloodstains they found on the withdrawal route of the rebels, the report said. (Nonoy Lacson)

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2006042762502.html

7 NPA rebels, 2 militiamen killed in ComVal encounter

By MIKE U. CRISMUNDO

CAMP EDILBERTO EVANGELISTA, Cagayan de Oro City — Seven guerrilla fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) and two militiamen were killed, and several other rebels were reported seriously wounded when a fierce gunbattle erupted between government forces and communist dissidents at Mararag, Barangay Panamin, Maco town, Compostela Valley (ComVal), reports reaching the operation center of the Army area command here stated.

The same field reports stated that combat elements of 404th Infantry Brigade under the command of Col. Antonio Amodia were still conducting "hot pursuit" operations yesterday against the retreating rebels, who fled towards the forested area of Mararag.

Maj. Gen. Cardozo M. Luna, area command chief of the Army’s Northern, Northeastern and Southern Mindanao Fourth Infantry (Diamond) Division, ordered Colonel Amodia to use earth-moving equipment in pursuing the rebels who reportedly dragged along with them their wounded comrades.

The area command chief also directed Col. Ricardo David, commanding officer of the 402nd Infantry (Stingers) Brigade based in Awa, New Leyte, Prosperidad town, Agusan del Sur, to deploy his combat troops and set up blocking positions at the boundary of ComVal and Agusan del Sur.

A spot report received at operation center here stated that combined elements of Tagbaros Philippine ArmyCAFGU and Malamudao PA-CAFGU of 72nd Infantry Battallion under Lt. Col. Dario Quindoza were conducting clearing operations in Mararag when they clashed with some 30 heavily armed regular fighters of Front Committee 2 of the CPP-NPA Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) at 5:30 in the morning last Thursday.

The heavy firefight lasted for more than 30 minutes with the rebels hastily withdrawing.

Field report further stated the rebels could not withstand the firepower and war skills of the ground troops, and the only way for them to avoid more casualties was to withdrew.

"The rebels were also afraid of the coming reinforcement from nearby areas," a ground field commander said.

The military said the identities of the seven slain rebels were not immediately known.

The militiamen killed in the heavy firefight were identified as CAA Carlo Salibay and Mar Alonzo, both assigned at Tagbaros PA-CAFGU detachment.

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2006042762499.html

CAFGUs successfully repelled the rebels?

Wow! That's a big improvement.

The CAFGUs are usually armed with M1 Garand rifles, how come the rebels, who are usually armed with better weapons, failed to overpower the CAFGUs and decided to withdraw?

Are the CAFGUs now armed with M16s and M14s? Or is it plain good tactics and bravery?

It's probably a mix of the m16 and m14's with some adrenaline that held them long enough for them reds to withdraw.

RIP to the 2 that died though.

Or the rebels underestimated their skills.

The CAFGU's defensive positions and preparedness might have prevented the rebels from using their numerical and firepower advantage.

Another one!

NPA attempt to storm camp of CAFGU in Surigao foiled

Gunbattle lasts until daybreak

By MIKE U. CRISMUNDO

BUTUAN CITY - Heavy gunbattle erupted early yesterday morning between Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) members, supported by Army troops, and some 50 heavily armed communist rebels in Barangay Buhisan, San Agustin town, Surigao del Sur, sketchy reports reaching the regional operation center of Police Region 13 Office (PRO 13) here stated.

As of yesterday afternoon, the Surigao del Sur Provincial Police Office cannot still determine the number of casualties on both sides.

The reports stated that a close-quarter battle broke out at 4:35 early in the morning. This was followed by a running firefight that lasted until daybreak in Buhisan.

Col. Ricardo David, commanding officer of 402nd Infantry (Stingers) Brigade based in Awa, New Leyte, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur, deployed more combat troops, supported by war earth-moving equipment, to beef up the elements of 23rd CAFGU Battallion who were conducting "hot pursuit" operations against the fleeing rebels.

Personnel of the Surigao del Sur Provincial Police Office, augmented by regional and provincial mobile forces, were ordered by Chief Supt. Geary L. Barias, PRO 13l director, to establish blocking positions on the possible escape route of the rebels.

Senior Inspector Nelly Tabornal-Villagarcia, regional police spokeswoman, said the fierce gunbattle came about when guerrilla fighters of Front Committee 19-B of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) attempted to storm the 23rd CAFGU detachment in Buhisan.

However, the attacking column of communist dissidents failed to overrun the militia camp when the defenders led by Cpl. Mario Alvarez Orcullo gallantly fought back until reinforcement from nearby areas arrived at daybreak. forcing the rebels to withdraw.

The NPA has stepped up its attack on government installations and rural businesses in the countryside after the peace talks with the Arroyo administration collapsed in 2004.

This came after the CPP and NDF pulled out of the negotiations in protest of the inclusion of the NPA in the terror list prepared by the United States and the European Union.

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2006060165638.html

To Cpl. Mario Alvarez Orcullo and his CAFGUs,

long time no hear mga bro

anyway I saw this n TV news here in a foreign land about a Philippine Army detachment raided by the neps, it was found out that a CAFGU militiaman allowed the rebels to enter the detachment , taking the firearms and killing a scout ranger seargeant who was the detachment commander.

careful scrutiny of CAFGU recruitment should be observed by the people concerned to prevent similar incidents

ingat mga tol

just like any organizations there are snakes and scalawags amongst us.

But anyway, some are making the CAFGU proud.

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2006082672662.html

CAFGU allowance hike not enough

The country’s 52,783 Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) members will start getting a R30 a day increase in their subsistence allowance in July but Sen. Ralph Recto said the hike is not enough, given the "low pay but high risk" work of these citizen soldiers.

Recto said a second round of pay increase should be given to them, as "they are putting their lives on line by guarding their communities for a pay that is considered a pittance."

As "embedded defenders of their villages," Recto said CAFGU men do not receive salaries, only a daily subsistence allowance that will be raised from the present R60 to R90 in July this year by virtue of an order signed recently by President Arroyo.

Executive Order (EO) 611 grants a 10 percent increase in the basic pay of civilian employees and a R1,200 a month adjustment in the allowances of uniformed personnel beginning in the second half of the year.

Although considered part of the uniformed services, CAFGU personnel, however, will only be getting an equivalent R900 a month hike, as they are not entitled to the R120 to R240 a month hike in hazard pay soldiers and policemen will get under EO 611.

Recto said CAFGU men should get the same increase in hazard pay, "for they are exposed to the same hazards that their brothers-in-arms in the Armed Forces have to confront."

http://www.mb.com.ph/MTNN2007042792708.html

Expect the unexpected. More victorious battles coming. So DAR you know it too.

http://newsbreak.com.ph/index.php?option=c...Itemid=88889066

The strength of the Philippine army is essentially doubled due to the CAFGUs who are literally active-duty reservists:

Fast Facts About the CAFGU and Paramilitary Forces

By Gemma B. Bagayaua, abs-cbnNEWS/NEWSBREAK with research assistance by Purple S. Romero abs-cbnNEWS/NEWSBREAK | 12/28/2008 4:29 PM

* During martial law, paramilitary groups like the Civilian Home Defense Forces (CHDF) became notorious for the human rights abuses they committed. As a result, these groups were ordered dissolved under Article 18, Section 24 of the 1987 Constitution, which bans private armies and paramilitary forces, including specifically the CHDF, not consistent with the citizen armed force established under the Constitution.
* In July 1987, barely six months after the new Constitution took effect, President Corazon Aquino signed Executive Order (EO) 264 providing for the “Citizen Armed Force” and creating in the process the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units (CAFGU).
* What was invoked as justification for the formation of the CAFGU was the provision in the 1987 Constitution calling for the formation of a “Citizen Armed Force” (Article 16, Sec. 4), which shall undergo military training and serve as may be provided by law.
* EO 264 provided that all able-bodied citizens shall become reservists with appropriate ranks. All reservists in a particular locality shall be organized into reserve geographical units subject to call and mobilization as the need arises, individually or as a unit
* It also provided that Active Auxiliary Units which shall be part of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units (CAFGU), may be utilized, to be constituted out of volunteers to be screened in consultation with the local executives and civic/business leaders. These Active Auxiliary Units shall mean a degree of activation of military reservists short of full active duty status.
* In the website of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Reservist and Reserve Force Development, the military maintains that CAFGU Active Auxiliaries are “reservists on active duty.” (See Reserve Force Development Frequently Asked Questions.)
* In 1992, Zambales Rep. Antonio Diaz Magsaysay filed House Bill 2542, which sought to repeal EO 264. Diaz noted that EO 264 revived the dread of the CHDF’s reincarnation under a new name and called the CAFGU the “escape hatch” of the CHDF as well as the re-entry vehicle for their atrocities.
* In hearings conducted at the House of Representatives in 1995 concerning bills seeking to demobilize paramilitary units including the CAFGU and abolish EO 264, Col. Rolando Floria proposed a five-year demobilization plan beginning 1994. Under the plan, the CAFGU was supposed to be totally demobilized by 1999. The bill never made it through the legislative gridlock.
* In 1995, yet another bill seeking to demobilize the CAFGU was filed by Senator Orlando Mercado. The bill noted the transfer of internal security functions to the Philippine National Police (PNP). Again, the bill didn’t pass.
* Today, the CAFGU’s strength is gaining from a low of 32,748 in the late 1990s to the 61,148 in 2007. The military is asking for more funds to recruit more CAFGU.
* Some 525 CAFGU companies are currently deployed in 71 provinces nationwide, according to data obtained by Newsbreak from the Philippine Army.
* Aside from the regular CAA companies, CAFGU battalions reported that they are administering 49 Special CAFGU companies with some 3,200 men.

http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/12/28/08/fa...military-forces

Statistics on CAFGU http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/12/28/08/statistics-cafgu

Research by Purple S. Romero, abs-cbnNEWS.com/NEWSBREAK | 12/28/2008 4:36 PM

Yearly CAFGU Active Auxilliary Strenght

Calendar Year


Strength

1988


37,360

1989


49,721

1990


69,747

1991


68,211

1992


75,461

1993


67,691

1994


55,581

1995


37,178

1996


36,236

1997


33,716

1998


32,748

1999


32,748

2000


32,748

2001


41,979

2002


51,320

2003


52,220

2004


52,748

2005


52,748

2006


52,748

2007


61,148


Number of CAAS by Infantry Division

DIVISION


PROVINCES


NR OF CAA COY


NR OF CAAs

1ID


Zamboanga del Sur


26


10,103

Misamis Occidental


10

Lanao del Norte


13

Lanao del Sur


8

Zamboanga del Norte


18

Zamboanga Sibugay


12

Sub-total


87



2ID


Laguna


5


5,180

Rizal


4

Quezon


15

Oriental Mindoro


5

Occidental Mindoro


3

Marinduque


1

Romblon


1

Cavite


1

Batangas


8

Palawan


5

Sub-total


44



3ID


Negros Occidental


16


5,208

Negros Oriental


7

Bohol


9

Cebu


3

Capiz


5

Aklan


2

Iloilo


3

Antique


1

Sub-total


46



4ID


Misamis Oriental


13


7,189

Agusan del Sur


18

Agusan del Norte


6

Surigao del Sur


10

Surigao del Norte


4

Bukidnon*


11

Lanao del Sur


1

Sub-total


64



5ID


Benguet


1


5,448

Ifugao


2

Mt Province


6

Cagayan


6

Abra


6

Ilocos Norte


2

Ilocos Sur


3

Nueva Viscaya


1

Isabela


8

Quirino


2




Kalinga


9




Apayao


6

Sub-total


52



6ID


North Cotabato


32


7,187

Maguindanao


20

Sultan Kudarat


13

Sub-total


65



7ID


Nueva Ecija


5


3.049

Tarlac


5

Pampanga


5

Pangasinan


5

Aurora


4

Bataan


2

Bulacan


4

TBDL (Variance)*




Sub-total


30



8ID


Leyte


5


3,215

Southern Leyte


3

Northern Samar


8

Western Samar


8

Eastern Samar


4

Sub-total


28



9ID


Masbate


2


4,434




Sorsogon


6




Albay


8




Catanduanes


3




Camarines Sur


19




Camarines Norte


3




Sub-total


42



10ID


Compostela Valley


18


7,706

Davao Oriental


7

Davao del Norte


9

Davao del Sur


16

Sarangani


7

South Cotabato


8

Sub-total


65



PMAR


Basilan


20


2,400

Sub-total





20




Grand Total





525


61,148
as of 12/29/2008 5:48 PM

POWER of the CAFGU

CAFGU Battalion challenges and innovations
07 April, 2009 by admin

by Lt Col Joshua G Santiago INF (GSC) PA
Tales from the Countryside
Feature Article

The 72nd IB (CAFGU) is now confronting many challenges in the performance of its mission in view of its wide area of coverage. The perennial problems in CAFGU Active Auxiliary (CAA) administration, among others, delay of subsistence allowance and untrained cadres reduced the effectiveness of CAFGUs as force multipliers in ISO. This is further aggravated by the CT harassments of CAA detachments and the lost of sizeable number of assorted firearms.

AFP drops cases vs 10 officers in CAFGU fund misuse

by Aries Rufo, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 05/15/2009 11:59 AM

The military has dropped charges against 10 military officers who were earlier recommended for court martial for allegedly misusing funds meant to pay salaries of members of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU).

A document leaked to abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak by a Camp Aguinaldo insider shows that since two years ago, the Army has investigated at least 59 Army officers—the biggest investigation in recent years—on reports that several battalions had come up with a list of “ghost” CAFGUs in their units and pocketed the salaries meant for them.

One of those investigated was a colonel who eventually served as an aide of retired Armed Forces chief of staff Alexander Yano, according to the same document. This officer, along with 49 others, were cleared in the initial stages of the probe. They were eventually reassigned to other commands or staff positions.

The biggest number of those probed--15 officers--came from the 6th Infantry Division based in Central Mindanao. Of the 15 from this division, 10 were recommended for court martial trial in June last year, all junior officers.

Two of their seniors, both colonels, were merely reprimanded and the investigation against them was eventually “dropped and closed.” Their other senior officer, another colonel, was reassigned and the investigation against him was also “dropped and closed.”

But as of February this year, the court martial cases against the 10—two majors, four captains, and four lieutenants—had likewise been dropped.

The document, according to senior officer who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case, was presented early this year to Yano, who was still chief of staff at the time, and Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Victor Ibrado, who was Army boss then.

Perennial problem

Misuse of CAFGU funds has perennially plagued the Army because these funds had been treated by some military officers as their discretionary fund.

In 2006, then Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino initiated a wide-ranging investigation into the CAFGU funds, and at least one colonel was from the Army’s 10th Infantry Division was implicated at the time.

The abuse was so wide-ranging that the investigation covered all the Army’s 10 divisions.

Newsbreak, in an earlier report, said that during Tolentino’s time, three had been recommended for court martial, while others were undergoing pre-trial investigation. (Click here to read "Misuse of CAFGU funds still unresolved" http://newsbreak.com.ph/index.php?option=c...temid=88889066). It appears that the three were among those who were eventually cleared.

The Newsbreak report prompted three party-list groups to file a resolution seeking an investigation into the CAFGU funds. We checked the status of the resolution which was filed before the House committee on defense and security and we were told that it remains pending in the committee.

Final decision

Sought for comment, Army spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos said newly appointed Army chief Lt.Gen. Delfin Bangit was not familiar with the dismissal of the charges against the 10 officers.

Bangit assumed the post earlier this month, replacing Ibrado, who is now AFP chief of staff.

In any case, Burgos said that “if there was a final decision, we cannot question that.”

Ghost CAFGUs

Estimates showed that P177.5 million annually is misused through the “ghost CAFGUs.” The Army’s initial investigation into this indicated that there were about 8,000 “ghost” CAFGUs nationwide.

Under this scheme, non-existent CAFGU members are reflected in the division payroll. The monthly subsistence allowance of these “ghost CAFGUs” (roughly P1,800) are diverted for other purposes.

Created in 1989, the CAFGU is composed of mostly of reservists, officers, and enlisted men on inactive status. Its budget is under the Department of National Defense.

Without commenting on ongoing cases, Burgos said Bangit “will see to it that cases of mishandling of funds will be properly investigated.”

Bangit, he said, “will not tolerate any infractions in the administration and management of the CAFGU.”

Burgos noted that reforms have been instituted in the use of CAFGU funds, in particular, the establishment of a personnel information system for CAFGU members.

He said Bangit will call for a command conference in June to further improve CAFGU administration and management.

as of 05/15/2009 12:26 PM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/05/15/09...fgu-fund-misuse

Fast Facts About the CAFGU and Paramilitary Forces

By Gemma B. Bagayaua, abs-cbnNEWS/NEWSBREAK with research assistance by Purple S. Romero abs-cbnNEWS/NEWSBREAK | 12/28/2008 4:29 PM

* During martial law, paramilitary groups like the Civilian Home Defense Forces (CHDF) became notorious for the human rights abuses they committed. As a result, these groups were ordered dissolved under Article 18, Section 24 of the 1987 Constitution, which bans private armies and paramilitary forces, including specifically the CHDF, not consistent with the citizen armed force established under the Constitution.

* In July 1987, barely six months after the new Constitution took effect, President Corazon Aquino signed Executive Order (EO) 264 providing for the “Citizen Armed Force” and creating in the process the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units (CAFGU).

* What was invoked as justification for the formation of the CAFGU was the provision in the 1987 Constitution calling for the formation of a “Citizen Armed Force” (Article 16, Sec. 4), which shall undergo military training and serve as may be provided by law.

* EO 264 provided that all able-bodied citizens shall become reservists with appropriate ranks. All reservists in a particular locality shall be organized into reserve geographical units subject to call and mobilization as the need arises, individually or as a unit

* It also provided that Active Auxiliary Units which shall be part of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units (CAFGU), may be utilized, to be constituted out of volunteers to be screened in consultation with the local executives and civic/business leaders. These Active Auxiliary Units shall mean a degree of activation of military reservists short of full active duty status.

* In the website of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Reservist and Reserve Force Development, the military maintains that CAFGU Active Auxiliaries are “reservists on active duty.” (See Reserve Force Development Frequently Asked Questions.)

* In 1992, Zambales Rep. Antonio Diaz Magsaysay filed House Bill 2542, which sought to repeal EO 264. Diaz noted that EO 264 revived the dread of the CHDF’s reincarnation under a new name and called the CAFGU the “escape hatch” of the CHDF as well as the re-entry vehicle for their atrocities.

* In hearings conducted at the House of Representatives in 1995 concerning bills seeking to demobilize paramilitary units including the CAFGU and abolish EO 264, Col. Rolando Floria proposed a five-year demobilization plan beginning 1994. Under the plan, the CAFGU was supposed to be totally demobilized by 1999. The bill never made it through the legislative gridlock.

* In 1995, yet another bill seeking to demobilize the CAFGU was filed by Senator Orlando Mercado. The bill noted the transfer of internal security functions to the Philippine National Police (PNP). Again, the bill didn’t pass.

* Today, the CAFGU’s strength is gaining from a low of 32,748 in the late 1990s to the 61,148 in 2007. The military is asking for more funds to recruit more CAFGU.

* Some 525 CAFGU companies are currently deployed in 71 provinces nationwide, according to data obtained by Newsbreak from the Philippine Army.

* Aside from the regular CAA companies, CAFGU battalions reported that they are administering 49 Special CAFGU companies with some 3,200 men.


as of 12/29/2008 5:47 PM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/28/08...military-forces

This post has been edited by saver111 on May 15 2009, 02:47 PM

Back in 2000, in the upper part of Linamon, Lanao del Norte, two CAFGU militiamen held their ground against an undetermined number of MILF fighters, probably more than 100. All they got were M1 garands, sundangs (jungle bolo) and anting-antings. They were brothers. Both are residents of barangay Buru-un. And just when you think a RPG straight to the stomach can only happen in the movie Black Hawk Down, one of the CAFGUs caught a B-40 round straight through his tummy. It was a dud and it was stuck, effectively keeping him from bleeding to death. They say it was the anting-anting that kept him in the fight long enough before the Marines arrived. He died later on in a hospital here in Iligan.

In Lapayan, Kauswagan last August, one CAFGU held ground against a very large MILF advance armed only with a carbine and a paltik shotgun. No anting-anting this time. He held back the MILF while his neighbors were fleeing, shooting from one position to another, alternating his carbine and paltik, in order to force the MILF into believing that he's not alone. A lucky shot to the head ended his life long after his neighbors were safely away. He was retreating because he ran out of ammo.

Three weeks ago, in barangay Tipanoy, Iligan, a CAFGU shot and killed a MILF fighter who shot and killed a local farmer. The CAFGU went after the culprit and ran smack into a large group of MILF. Realizing he was not Rambo nor Mel Gibson enough (he had 9 children!) to cry Garry Owen and kill 'em all, he fled and called the Police who then called the Army. In no time, the security of Iligan was tightened which until now remains the same.

Man, I love these CAFGUs!