THE number of Special Citizens Armed Auxiliary (SCAA) in Negros Oriental is dwindling apparently due to the minimal honorarium offered them as well as the delayed release of such subsistence allowance.
Captain Niño Tornalejo, commander of the Alpha Company of the 12th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army, said this Monday, November 7, during the regular meeting of the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) at the Capitol.
The Army captain further informed as of October 2016, there are only 79 active SCAAs in Negros Oriental.
The ideal number for the province is 160 plus five extra SCAAs, therefore, there is a need to recruit at least 81, Tornalejo told the PPOC.
The Provincial Government of Negros Oriental pays the SCAAs while the regular CAAs are in the payroll of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, specifically under the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit or Cafgu.
SCAAs in Dumaguete are paid a monthly honorarium of P2,000 while CAAs get P4,500 per month, said Tornalejo.
He said some of the SCAAs have converted to being CAAs because of the higher pay, while others have resigned to look for better-paying jobs elsewhere.
Also, Tornalejo said many CAAs have left because of the delayed release of their subsistence allowance by the Provincial Government.
It takes months before these SCAAs receive their honoraria from Capitol, he pointed out.
Other concerns that Tornalejo raised during the peace council meeting included the absence of refresher training, limited issuance of combat clothing and individual equipment (ideally every two years), dilapidated detachments, and limited support/maintenance of SCAA detachments.
The last time the SCAAs received their uniforms were three years ago, Tornalejo said.
Provincial Legal Officer Richard Enojo, who represented Governor Roel Degamo to the PPOC meeting, said the SCAA allowance is now raised to P4,500 a month.
Lawyer Enojo, concurrent Provincial Administrator, further said the Provincial Government will also be paying differentials.
This would perhaps entice more individuals to sign up as SCAA, Enojo said, in response to Tornalejo’s apprehension, it is difficult to recruit due to the measly monthly allowance of P2,000.
Enojo said he will ask the Department of Interior and Local Government to find ways to include in the 2017 budget the allotment of funds for SCAAs.
The lawyer acknowledged the need to immediately meet the concerns of these SCAAs, such as uniforms and refresher training, especially as they are receiving low pay “in exchange for their lives”.
These military auxiliary personnel are utilized as “force multipliers” in counter-insurgency operations and most of them are assigned at detachments that have already been “cleared” of the insurgency.
There are 31 CAA and 11 SCAA detachments in Negros Oriental, Tornalejo said. (PNA)
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