Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit
Encyclopedia
The Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit, variously called Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit, Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit and commonly referred to by its acronym CAFGU is an irregular
auxiliary
force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
.
Corazon C. Aquino signed Executive Order No. 264 entitled "Providing for the Citizen Armed Force". The creation of the unit was based on the "clear, consolidate, hold and develop" strategy adopted by then-Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos
in dealing with insurgent-infiltrated villages.
CAFGU units are components of the AFP Ready Reserve detailed to Military Auxiliary Service. Article X, Sec. 61, sub-paragraph 2 of Republic Act 7077 describes this manner of service as follows:
. Philippine Army infantry battalions assigned to this function are also referred to as "Cadre Battalions". Deactivation of CAFGU units assigned to these battalions result in the return of their status as regular infantry battalions.
The CAFGU units are tasked to prevent the re-infiltration of insurgents into communities that have already been cleared of their influence by combat operations conducted by regular units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The CAFGU units are issued small arms
; typically M-14 or M-16
rifles, and receive a monthly stipend of Php
2,700.00 (about USD
57.00).
abuses; 60 CAFGU units comprising 10,000 troops were disbanded. However, in 1996, the government halted its program to completely disband the CAFGU units. As of 2007, an estimated 60,000 CAFGU troopers are active in the country, taking part in military operations alongside regular soldiers of the AFP.
The Commission on Human Rights
' records show that as of 2000, 853 human rights abuse cases have been filed against 1,070 CAFGU members.
Irregular military
Irregular military refers to any non-standard military. Being defined by exclusion, there is significant variance in what comes under the term. It can refer to the type of military organization, or to the type of tactics used....
auxiliary
Auxiliaries
An auxiliary force is a group affiliated with, but not part of, a military or police organization. In some cases, auxiliaries are armed forces operating in the same manner as regular soldiers...
force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
.
Creation
The CAFGU was created on July 25, 1987 when PresidentPresident of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Corazon C. Aquino signed Executive Order No. 264 entitled "Providing for the Citizen Armed Force". The creation of the unit was based on the "clear, consolidate, hold and develop" strategy adopted by then-Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
in dealing with insurgent-infiltrated villages.
CAFGU units are components of the AFP Ready Reserve detailed to Military Auxiliary Service. Article X, Sec. 61, sub-paragraph 2 of Republic Act 7077 describes this manner of service as follows:
Military auxiliary service entails services rendered in meeting local insurgency threat. Reservists serving under this category will be organized into Ready Reserve units. They must be issued and allowed to carry firearms: Provided, That these reservists will be utilized only for the defense of their respective localities and will not be employed outside their localities. Elected/appointed local government officials are expected to perform their duties and responsibilities in their respective peace and order council levels or similar organizations efficiently and effectively to enhance a total integrated system approach against threats to national security. The Secretary of National Defense shall prescribe the rules and regulations to implement this section in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government.
Organization
CAFGU units are administered by, and under the operational control of, regular units of the Armed Forces of the PhilippinesArmed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
. Philippine Army infantry battalions assigned to this function are also referred to as "Cadre Battalions". Deactivation of CAFGU units assigned to these battalions result in the return of their status as regular infantry battalions.
The CAFGU units are tasked to prevent the re-infiltration of insurgents into communities that have already been cleared of their influence by combat operations conducted by regular units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The CAFGU units are issued small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
; typically M-14 or M-16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
rifles, and receive a monthly stipend of Php
Philippine peso
The peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
2,700.00 (about USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
57.00).
Criticism
In 1993, the Philippine government considered deactivating the CAFGU units due to allegations of human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
abuses; 60 CAFGU units comprising 10,000 troops were disbanded. However, in 1996, the government halted its program to completely disband the CAFGU units. As of 2007, an estimated 60,000 CAFGU troopers are active in the country, taking part in military operations alongside regular soldiers of the AFP.
The Commission on Human Rights
Commission on Human Rights (Philippines)
The Commission on Human Rights is an independent office created by the Constitution of the Philippines, with the primary function of investigating all forms of human rights violations involving civil and political rights in the Philippines....
' records show that as of 2000, 853 human rights abuse cases have been filed against 1,070 CAFGU members.