MANILA, Philippines - Calls for the government to suspend peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) following its recent attacks on civilian targets started Tuesday with former President Joseph Estrada in the forefront.
Estrada said instead of talking peace with the MILF, President Arroyo should declare an 'all-out war' against the rebel organization similar to what he did during his administration.
The former president noted that negotiating with the MILF is pointless since the rebel group was just taking the government for a ride."
Given the record of the MILF as a secessionist group engaged in terrorism, engaged in so-called negotiations and talks with the government while continuing their attacks, the government should now know better than to entertain their demands," he said.
In 2000, Estrada waged an all-out against the MILF, which resulted to the taking over of 46 of the rebel groups camps including their main headquarters, Camp Abubakar.
Estrada said the government erred when it entered into a negotiation with the MILF.
He also said President Arroyo could be charged with treason when she allowed the creation of a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, virtually an expansion of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), under the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain with the MILF.
"The primary duty of the president and commander in chief is to protect the territorial integrity of the nation at all costs under one flag, one armed forces, one commander-in-chief and one government," Estrada said.
Two senators Ramon Bong" Revilla Jr and Panfilo Lacson have also called for the suspension of talks with the MILF.
Revilla said the talks should be suspended indefinitely "until the MILF can come to the negotiating table with clean hands."
"It will be a complete waste of time and resources, and foster only false hopes, if we pursue the on-going peace efforts with the MILF being blatantly insincere and attended with gross bad faith," he said.
Lacson, for his part, chided the MILF leadership for its lack of control over its troops.
For 30 years they point to a lost command when they violate the ceasefire. What's the point negotiating with a group that cannot control its own men? It's pointless, there's no point talking to them," he said in Filipino.
The United Opposition (UNO), meanwhile, condemned the Mondays MILF attack on civilian communities in Lanao del Norte that resulted to the death of 23 civilians.
"All-peace-loving Filipinos, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, must denounce the attacks on civilians by MILF groups as immoral, un-Islamic and un-Christian." said UNO spokesman lawyer Adel Tamano.
Tamano said the unprovoked attacks" on civilians by the rebel group do not help convince those who oppose the memorandum of agreement on ancestral. - with Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV