CSG founder says leadership did not order Tondo Chapter 2 to kill

MANILA, Philippines – The founder of the Confederate Sentinels Group (CSG), whose Tondo Chapter 2 is accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings, insisted it was the police who had direct command over the group’s marshall units and all force multipliers in the country.

In part 4 of a 7-part Murder in Manila series, “What Did The CSG Do Wrong?,” CSG director Alvin Constantino claimed that he had no knowledge of the vigilante activities in Tondo.

“The leadership of the CSG did not order them to kill,” he said.

Former PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa told Rappler that “it is the village hall that has control” over force multipliers.

Self-confessed vigilante members, in a 6-month investigation by Patricia Evangelista and Carlo Gabuco, said their group was backed by the local police. Their leader, Ricardo Villamonte alias Commander Maning, often received orders from at least one official – Police Superintendent Robert Domingo of PS-1 Raxabago.  

CSG Tondo Chapter 2, they said, was responsible for killing at least 20 people within the first 7 months of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

The chapter’s leader, Commander Maning, denied allegations he and his men were involved in killings. 

Although Tondo Chapter 2 never “got out of probationary status,” Constantino said it was once considered one of CSG’s at least 30 chapters across the Philippines. Chapter 2 didn’t renew its membership after. 

He added it was the police that recruited members for this chapter, and called him when Tondo Chapter 2 “was ready for orientation.” The Philippine National Police accredited CSG as a volunteer organization in 2009 and has maintained a connection since.

Constantino told Rappler that one of these cops, Police Inspector Jonar Cardozo, used to be the precinct commander of PCP Smokey Mountain. He is now the chief of the Vehicular Investigation Section of the Manila Police District.  

According to Constantino, it was Cardozo who recruited and recommended Commander Maning and his men to the the CSG, and that he (Constantino) only appeared in their meetings when invited.

Cardozo, in a text message to Rappler, did not deny he personally recruited for CSG Tondo Chapter 2, adding that “all who are willing [to do] community service and public safety are welcome and invited” to join the CSG.

He refused to comment when asked if he agreed with the allegations that CSG Tondo Chapter 2 was a vigilante group.

READ MORE FROM THE MURDER IN MANILA SERIES: 
PART 1: ‘Some People Need Killing’
PART 2: ‘The Cops Were Showing Off’
Part 3: ‘Get It From the Chief’
Part 4: ‘What Did the CSG Do Wrong?‘

– Rappler.com

Editor’s Note: 
All quotes in Filipino have been translated into English. At sources’ request, Rappler has changed or withheld their names for their own safety.