Army reservists in South form anti-terrorism group

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Army reservists and retired officers and men from all over Mindanao have organized themselves into home defense forces that will help the military and the Philippine National Police combat terrorism, particularly at the barangay level.

Calling itself the Federation of the Philippine Army Reservist Army (FPARA), the group claims to have mobilized 20,000 reservists and organized home defense forces in Misamis Oriental and Occidental, Bukidnon, the Agusan and Surigao provinces and other parts of Mindanao.

Retired Army Col. Virgilio Pacana, FPARA president, said the group is composed of veterans of the anti-secessionist and -communist campaigns in Mindanao and is based at the 10th Regional Community Defense Group at Camp Evangelista in this city.

Pacana said they have sought the help of President Arroyo and Congress to allow them to carry government-issued or personal firearms to fight terrorism.

"We have the military training and background. What we need if full government support to allow us to carry guns in our respective localities," he said.

Aside from Pacana, the FPARA core group is also composed of retired Army colonels Anastacio Labitad, founder of the 500,000 member-strong Guardian Brotherhood; Ramon Neri and Jose Paner.

As home defense forces, FPARA units, Pacana said, will be effective in fighting urban and rural terrorist threats because they know their localities, can coordinate well with local police and military units, and can be mobilized anytime.

"We want to set up a reserve force that can be mobilized within minutes anytime," he said.

The FPARA seeks to replicate the Israeli settlement defense forces which are tapped to respond to external threats within minutes.