If he were the commander-in-chief, former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada would have waged an all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to put an end to the Mindanao conflict.
Estrada told reporters on Friday that he does not wish to give President Benigno Aquino III unsolicited advice, but the president should stop the peace efforts that for 30 years have not done the country any good.
According to Estrada, the only solution to the conflict in Mindanao is an all-out war against the Moro rebel forces, similar to what he did in 2000 when he was still president.
"Tatapusin ko sila, ilan nang sundalo ang namatay, tingnan mo naman. Pababayaan ba natin ganun na lang manatili ang ating mga kawal ay napapatay, mga sibilyan nakikidnap? We have to wage war to earn peace," he said, referring to the military's recent clash with the MILF in Basilan which left 19 soldiers dead. The attack happened despite a standing truce.
During Estrada's all-out war campaign against the MILF, most of the rebel group's camps, including Camp Abubakar, fell into government's hands. But hundreds of lives of soldiers and rebels were also lost, and thousands of civilians were evacuated to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
The former President, however, said most of the people in Mindanao had approved of his actions, claiming that his victory in the southern Philippines in the 2010 presidential race was proof of the people's approval.
Earlier in the day, former police chief and Senate defense committee chairman Sen. Panfilo Lacson also urged Aquino to do what Estrada did to the MILF.
"It's time for PNoy to do an Erap. Peace in Mindanao cannot be achieved unless a tactical victory is attained first by the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines)," he told reporters in a text statement on Friday.
Last Thursday, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile also urged Aquino to stop the peace talks because, according to him, the MILF is not sincere in peace efforts.
Aquino, however, rejected the idea, saying that an all-out war will not help improve the situation in Mindanao. — LBG
