KORONADAL CITY— "The training of civilians [to become members of the Civilian Volunteers' Organization (CVO)] is not a very good prospect. We are becoming violent," Marbel Diocese Bishop Dinualdo D. Gutierrez said at a press conference here.

Senior Superintendent Robert R. Kiunisala, South Cotabato police director, confirmed that they are training people to become CVO members in at least three villages of Tampakan namely Tablu, Danlag and Pulabato. These villages are within the mines development site.

"But this civilian volunteers organization is under the supervision of the DILG [Department of Interior and Local Government] and the barangay government. What the police are doing is lecturing them on law enforcement subjects, simple community defense, peace and order and basic [provisions of the] law," the police official said at the same press conference.

Felix Espanola, an anti–mining advocate, said that 60 civilians are being trained in each of the identified villages in Tampakan town and another 60 in Barangay Bong Mal in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, or a total of 240 barangay tanods, which CVO members are more known.

"We are afraid that these CVOs will be used to harass or silence mining critics in the communities," said Mr. Espanola, a former community organizer when the venture was still managed by Australian firm Western Mining Corp.

Sagittarius had acquired the mining rights from the Australian firm. In March last year, global mining player Xstrata Copper took over management control of Sagittarius.

Its tenement also includes the town of Columbio in Sultan Kudarat province. The New People's Army (NPA) is known to move around the firm's mines development site.

Bishop Gutierrez said that since CVOs are usually armed, although they are reportedly not legally permitted to carry firearms, violence is not fat–fetch to rule over the mines development site.

"Agaw–armas [gun snatching] may become prevalent in the area. Knowing the NPA, they also want as many firearms as possible. Armed clashes cannot be avoided," the religious leader pointed out.

The training of civilian volunteer watchmen was on top of the new security arrangement put in place by Sagittarius last month, when it hired the services of Catena Security, Inc., an affiliate of England–based Group 4 Securicor, one of the world's leading security firms.

An earlier Sagittarius announcement said that more than 100 security guards will be employed to secure the personnel and facilities of the firm, which the NPA attacked last New Year's Day resulting to the burning of buildings worth at least P12 million.

Last weekend, the communist rebels warned anew of punitive attacks against Sagittarius, which is still in the exploration stage for copper and gold deposits.

Mr. Kiunisala said they expect the barangay tanods to become instrumental in neutralizing the presence of lawless armed groups operating in the area, referring to the NPA rebels.

But also on top of Sagittarius's private security and the CVO members, Mr. Kiunisala assured the company of full state protection.

"Authorities are bound to protect legitimate investors from threats. The police and the military are providing area security to the company," Mr. Kiunisala said.

Acting Tampakan Vice Mayor Relly A. Leysa has questioned the number of CVOs, saying that each village is entitled to only 20 personnel, being a manageable number.

As he also asked where the allowances for the CVO members would come, Mr. Leysa said they will be used not only for community self–defense but also to help government forces secure the investment of Sagittarius from attacks of communist rebels and other armed groups.

A Sagittarius official reporters talked to Tuesday afternoon in another venue, but who requested anonymity for lack of clearance to speak on the matter, said that compensation of the CVOs would be taken from the financial assistance given by the firm.

It is public knowledge that Sagittarius has been extending one million pesos to barangays straddled by the project site.

But the Sagittarius officials denied "the company was behind the moves to train the civilians," saying that "village officials have the freedom to allocate the company's financial assistance to whatever development initiatives they like."

Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal, spokesperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has warned of more attacks against Sagittarius and other foreign mining companies in the country.

END