Private militias in the Philippines

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On Monday, voters across the Philippines head to the polls for national elections. But many are concerned about the potential for violence. In recent weeks, 12 local political leaders have been gunned down, allegedly by members of politically connected “private armies.” Phillip Martin reports from General Santos City on the island of Mindanao.

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At the entrance of Camp Lira, soldiers grab their rifles, peer into open car windows, and after a moment or two, wave a reporter through. This is headquarters FOR a joint military and police investigation unit. Until just a few weeks ago, four leaders of the Ampatuans, the country’s most notorious private army, were jailed here. Colonel Pedro Austria IS the unit’s Regional Chief.

“They are, the Ampatuans, considered high-risk personalities. They are not ordinary person who are being charged for the crime.”

The suspects are accused of leading a massacre last November of 57 people in a region just north of here. The wife of a local politician was on her way to register her husband’s candidacy when her convoy was ambushed by one hundred guns-for hire. Those armed men were connected to a powerful warlord who has links to the country’s outgoing president. Even for a population used to pre-election violence this act of brutality shocked the country and made international news.

“The killings were brutal. Many of those shot dead were women. More than half were journalists. The Ampatuans were allowed to run a private army.”

The murders led to a government order to disarm so-called private armies ahead of national elections in May. Colonel Austria says the national police are conducting aggressive operations at regular checkpoints.

“Personnel who are traveling, they are subjected to checkpoint, and if somebody is carrying gun, it will be confiscated and they will be charged accordingly.“

But at a checkpoint on this provincial highway, no one is on duty, and so we breeze right by.

The Philippines is awash with heavily armed private armies. Most are connected to powerful landowners and political parties. Some have been supported by the government as a bulwark against Communist and Muslim rebels. And some armed groups serve as basic protection, says Jay Mathew Mariano, a council candidate in General Santos City. Several times a week he drives his SUV along this road in southern Mindanao. He says it can be dangerous in the best of times.

“The whole coastline of Sarangani is actually a long stretch. And there are some places where you would not really feel comfortable traveling with only two police escorts if you are a politician.”

So some politicians hire hundreds, even thousands of private guards, ostensibly for protection. There are 117 such groups throughout the country, but months after the government order, only a handful has been disarmed and Mariano says he’s concerned that the “wrong people” are giving up their guns:

“Those people who are actually playing by the rules, so to speak, will be the ones that will be disarmed. Those people who are insurgents, they will not be disarmed actually. So you are just exposing people who are playing by the rules to danger.”

But critics say all the private armies have been used to intimidate political rivals. And some of them have links to the Philippine armed forces. In fact, tons of munitions and firearms confiscated from the group charged in the November massacre have been traced to the military. Colonel Pedro Austria says that’s being looked into.

“It is under investigation so I cannot just give comments as far as where the firearms came from. Allegedly they came from the military, allegedly from the police. That is why we placed under investigation.”

But some international human rights groups accuse the government of actually “nurturing” certain warlords, private armies and government-established civilian militias. Many serve as political death squads, says Jocelyn Kanda-Kalinaw, who heads a regional government program to promote peace in Mindanao. She says civilians are regularly recruited to participate in the violence.

“I have this friend, a civilian volunteer, and his uncle was used by a certain political leader to be part of what they’re doing there, even though it’s violent. It’s killing. He’s paid by a government funds because he’s a civilian volunteer.”

Kalinaw suggests that as long as there is government tolerance for any armed paramilitary group, ensuring violence-free elections is not possible. Just last week, remnants of the private army that shot and hacked to death 57 people last year threatened to disrupt Monday’s vote in protest of the detention of their leaders.

For The World, I’m Phillip Martin, General Santos City, the Philippines.

• BBC coverage