Human Rights Watch Philippines @hrw_ph: On disbandment of Cafgus, paramilitary forces
Regarding the statement made in today’s papers by Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, the commanding general of the Philippine Army, on the disbandment of the paramilitary forces Cafgu and SCAA, I would like to make the following comment:
“Disbanding the paramilitary forces [Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) and Special Citizens Active Auxiliaries (SCAA)] is a welcome move but the armed forces need not wait for 2016 to do this. It should dismantle them now,” said Carlos Conde, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. The Cafgus and the SCAA have a long history of human-rights abuses with impunity. The government should hold accountable paramilitary members implicated in abuses immediately.”
“The Philippine government should heed recommendations by several countries during this week’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council to dismantle its paramilitary forces. The US, during the session in Geneva, urged the Philippines to “take new additional measures to ensure that the military exercises full control over Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units and the police over Civilian Volunteer Organizations, holding these units accountable for the Philippines’ obligations under international human rights law.”
“It’s not realistic to disband paramilitaries only once the communist New People’s Army abandon their armed struggle as Bautista claims. The government has a duty to protect human rights and punish state forces who violate these rights. This obligation is not contingent on the behavior of insurgent groups.”
Photo via agrondragaj.com
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About The Author
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado is a Content Strategist with over 16 years experience in blogging, content management, citizen advocacy and media literacy and over 26 years in web development. Otherwise known as @MomBlogger on social media, she believes in making a difference in the lives of her children by advocating social change for social good. She is a co-founder and a member of the editorial board of Blog Watch . She is a resource speaker on media literacy, social media , blogging, digital citizenship, good governance, transparency, parenting, women’s rights and wellness, and cyber safety. Her personal blogs such as aboutmyrecovery.com (parenting) , pinoyfoodblog.com (recipes), techiegadgets.com (gadgets) and benguetarabica.coffee keep her busy outside of Blog Watch. Disclosure: I am an advocate. I am NOT neutral. I will NOT give social media mileage to members of political clans, epal, a previous candidate for the same position and those I believe are a waste of taxpayers' money. I do not support or belong to any political party. I was part of accredited media covering the Office of the Vice President and Leni Robredo as she ran as a presidential aspirant in the 2022 National and local elections. On August 5, 2021, YouTube announced that I was selected as one of 50 Program participants of its Creator Program for Independent Journalists She was a Senior Consultant for ALL media engagements for the PCOO-led Committee on Media Affairs & Strategic Communications (CMASC) under the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council from January 4 -July 5, 2017. Having been an ASEAN advocate since 2011, she has written extensively about the benefits of the ASEAN community and as a region of opportunities on Blog Watch and aboutmyrecovery.com. Organization affiliation includes Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation Updated June 6, 2022