ZAMBOANGA – Authorities also need to keep an eye on Sulu province which allegedly has thousands of so-called private armed groups, a ranking military officer said.

Major General Ben Dolorfino, Western Mindanao Command Chief said this in an interview.

Sulu Police Provincial Director, Superintendent Tony Mendoza told ABS-CBN Zamboanga that the province has 2,030 members of the police auxiliary unit, the former civilian emergency force created at the height of the International Committee of the Red Cross kidnapping.

All of these civilians are armed. The firearms are allegedly supplied to them by their respective local government units, while those who personally own firearms can avail of the gun amnesty program of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Following the recent massacre of more than 50 people in Maguindanao, armed forces spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said in an earlier report that the military has started disarming militia members loyal to the powerful clan of the Ampatuans.

It deactivated 2 Special Cafgu Active Auxillary (SCAA) companies in Maguindanao. It said all firearms, ammunitions, equipment and uniforms of the members of the two Cafgu companies will be turned over to the Army's 6th Infantry Division.

The Commission of Human Rights reiterated its opposition to the creation of private armies.
 
Dolorfino supports this call. He said even before the elections, they have to implement a total gun ban, or better yet, disarm or dismantle all private armies in his area of responsibility.
 
CHR’s Commissioner for Mindanao, Atty. Jose Manuel Mamauag, said the Constitution states that all non-state armed groups or private armies should be dismantled.
 
Dolorfino, meanwhile, admitted that the military cannot give its assurance that it can control armed civilians especially in Sulu, the total number of which has reached thousands.

He added even members of CAFGU and civilian volunteers have politician bosses.
 
Some sectors in Zamboanga City said if it wasn’t for the massacre, authorities would not have realized the danger of having private armies manned by politicians.