The constitution itself actually looks with disdain on paramilitary groups, because of our experience with the Marcos government before. In the constitution there is a discouragement of the use of a paramilitary force, which was in fact the main criticism when the President signed the executive order.
I would like to add that our party is part of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives, but even we were forced to criticize the President for the issuance of such an executive order.
His reply was that there is an inability on the part of the police, because mining operations take place in upland areas very distant from urban centres. The explanation of both the President and the military is that they have a regular paramilitary group called CAFGU, but there is a special paramilitary group called Special CAFGU or SCAA. While the CAA is organic to the armed forces—they pay them and they have operational control over them—they cannot afford to pay the Special CAFGUs. That is why they said they would be asking for donations from concerned businesses who want to have security from the Special CAFGU.
However the President phrases it, the fact is that this unwieldy group of armed civilians under the pay of transnational corporations—and private corporations, at that—could actually lead to human rights violations. Despite the criticism, the President said that there is a need for such a special group and that the government will make sure that the special paramilitary groups are regulated and operationally under the control of the armed forces.
That was his reply, sir.