Home Defense Command

The Home Defense Command, AFP; is a former Wide Support Service Branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It was created for the sole purpose of utilizing citizen's militia and military reservists in the internal defense of the country particularly to counter the threat of the communist backed HUKBALAHAP.

History
The Home Defense Command or widely known as the Civilian Home Defense Forces started as Barrio Self-Defense Units and was then the brainchild of President Ramon Magsaysay during the 1950s. President Magsaysay, saw the threat of communist take over was imminent and that an armed unit should be created to counter this threat and preventing the country from being overwhelmed by communists.

By the 1960s, President Ferdinand Marcos disbanded the Barrio Self-Defense Units and later reorganized it to Integrated Civilian Home Defense Forces (ICHDF).In 1976, the ICHDF was grown in size pursuant to a presidential decree signed by President Marcos and ordered the inclusion of the Civilian Home Defense Force (CHDF), which previously was under the operational control of the National Government. The HUKBALAHAP had been replaced by the newly created CPP-NPA leading to the collapse of Peace and Order in the countryside. By 1971, Martial Law was declared and additional powers were given to the CHDF.

The Civilian Home Defense Force, was originally conceived to form part of the Philippine Constabulary as a civilian auxiliary force. Under the current structure of the AFP then, the task of training, organizing, and management of the CHDF would fall under the Philippine Constabulary.

Due to various human rights abuses created by the CHDF, President Corazon Aquino signed in 1987, executive order no. 275 ordering the demobilization, deactivation, and dissolution of all units of the CHDF.

By 1991, Republic Act 7077, also known as the Reservist Act of 1991, handed operational control of military auxiliaries, militias, and reservist personnel to the newly created AFP, Army, Navy, and Air Force Reserve Commands.