MANILA, Philippines - An independent commission tasked to dismantle private armies all over the Philippines may end up as a useless and toothless body, a former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chief said.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, lawyer Christian Monsod said the newly-formed independent commission may suffer the same fate as the Melo Commission, which investigated extra-judicial killings but whose recommendations did not solve the problem. 

"I don't think they'll find out anything new that is not already known to the PNP and military. Part of the problem is that the military and the police were involved in legitimizing private armies and groups like the Ampatuans'," he said. "Now, will they admit their guilt?"

Monsod, who oversaw the 1992 peaceful elections when he was head of the Comelec, said the independent commission actually has no teeth.

However, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Leonardo Espina said they will follow whatever the commission will tell them to do.

Those named to the independent commission are:

* Butuan Bishop Juan De Dios Pueblos, representing the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP);
* Mahmod Mala L. Adilao, representing the Bishops-Ulama Conference;
* Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) President Herman Basbaño, representing the media;
* Ret. Brig. Gen. Jaime Echevarria of the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO);
* Ret. Police Deputy Director General Virtus Gil;
* Dante Jimenez of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC).

However, members of the independent commission said they have enough time to fulfill their mission.

Jimenez also asked the public to give them a chance to perform their work before judging the commission.

"We will put our hearts together and our minds together and not only double-up but triple-up our time in the commission. I think we will be able to achieve something," said Jimenez.

"Others who are pessimistic must try to look at how we will do things in the days to come," said Basbaño, president of the KBP.

According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), there are 9 provinces in the country which have private armies, excluding the areas which are affected by Communist insurgents and Muslim separatists.

These are: Abra, Masbate, Nueva Ecija, Samar, Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and Sulu.

According to an ABS-CBN News source, there are 73 private armed groups in the country, but most of these are legal since they are actually Civilian Volunteer Organizations (CVOs) which should be under the control of the police.

Broad powers

The new commission, formed via Administrative Order (AO) No. 275 signed last December 8, will investigate and oversee the dismantling of private armies in Maguindanao and other political hotspots in the country.

"The commission is given broad investigative powers including the tapping of the PNP, AFP, NBI, and other government agencies, including government-controlled corporations. It is mandated to finish its work prior to the May 2010 elections," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde told reporters on Thursday.

Arroyo ordered the dismantling of private armies "to pave the way for peaceful elections next year with the creation of the independent commission to address the alleged existence of private armies in the country under Administrative Order 275," Remonde said.

Under the AO, the President granted investigative powers to the commission, including the power to summon witnesses and take testimony or evidence relevant to its investigation.

"The Department of Justice (DoJ) shall prioritize the prosecution of members and leaders of such private armed groups, with a view to their conviction at the soonest possible time," AO 275 said.

The commission, which will have a secretariat composed of technical and administrative personnel, is also authorized to deputize the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), PNP, DoJ and other law enforcement agencies to assist it in performing its duties.

The creation of the commission was prompted by the November 23 massacre of at least 57 people in the municipality of Ampatuan in Maguindanao, the Philippines' worst election-related violent incident. - report from Israel Malasa, ABS-CBN News