Alsa Masa

The Alsa Masa was a rightwing vigilante group in the Philippines initially formed in early 1984 specifically to combat the New People's Army in Barangay Agdao, Davao City. It was then later revived and expanded in April 1986 with the support of the Philippine Constabulary's Davao Metro District Command. It was created at a time when the NPA was still experimenting with approaches like urban insurrectionism, creating an atmosphere of extreme violence in Mindanao. However, Alsa Masa itself was soon noted to also be a perpetrator of numerous human rights violations, creating a cycle of violence in the locality. Many of Alsa Masa's members were later recruited into the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units which the Philippine government created in July 1987.