Pro-Government Militias
Citizens Against Communism Army (CACA) (Philippines)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 172 |
| Country: | Philippines |
| Date formed: | April 4, 1987 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | In February 1987 peace talks between the government and the rebels failed. President Aquino promised to unsheathe the sword of war in case of peace talk failure. Subsequently, anti-Communist groups, including the CACA proliferated. The CACA were first mentioned in a news source of 4 April 1987. |
| Date dissolved: | July 15, 1987 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | Through Executive Order No. 275, President Aquino dissolved all paramilitary units from 15 July 1987 onwards. As there is no (pro-government) evidence for the CACA after this order, the PGM is regarded as banned/dissolved. |
| Termination Type(s): | government defects |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no information |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no information | Main Creating Government Institution: | no information |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | no |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | unclear |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | no information |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ideology |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Cebu |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | The CACA is a community-based anti-communist group. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The CACA, being civilian vigilantes, were considered to be able to deny the insurgents the sanctuary of the villages: They were able to spy on their neighbors and deliver rough justice to suspected Communist sympathizers. Due to their civilian nature, they could commit atrocities that the regular troops could not commit without public outcry. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | deniability of violence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | According to a news source, human rights groups complained of vigilante atrocities. We have no further information on the exact nature and target of these atrocities. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.