Over-all organization, training and equipment was provided by the
Department of National Defense, while screening and appointment of actual members was carried out by the military provincial commander upon the recommendation of the local government heads and the Chief of the
Philippine Constabulary. Deployment and utilization of the CHDF troops fell under the supervision of the provincial governor, city and municipal mayors, who coordinated with military and
Integrated National Police units in areas under the jurisdiction of the local government. Various paramilitary groups with their own names and identities, including a number which portrayed themselves as religious or quasi-religious organizations, were recruited into the CHDF, with some being designated as special units of Marcos' Armed Forces. Among the better known of these groups were: •
Alsa Masa - a vigilante armed group initially formed in early 1984 specifically to combat the
New People's Army in Barangay Agdao,
Davao City, and later revived and expanded in April 1986 with the support of the
Philippine Constabulary's Davao Metro District Command; • the
Ilaga - a
Christian extremist paramilitary group active throughout the island of Mindanao which embraced a form of
Folk Catholicism which highlighted violent acts and the use of
amulets; • the
Rock Christ sect - a paramilitary sect well known for their human rights violations, particularly the
massacre of a Subanen family in
Tudela,
Misamis Occidental; and • the
Tadtad, whose formal name was
Sagrado Corazon Señor (SCS) - a paramilitary religious sect established in 1972 in
Initao,
Misamis Oriental by Sagrado Sade Jr. and whose main handler in the 1980s was current Philippine
senator Bato dela Rosa. ==In media==