Former President Fidel V. Ramos delivers his message before foreign dignitaries who attended the wreath laying ceremony on Monday (February 24, 2014) at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on the commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – Two former presidents have varying opinions on how the Aquino administration should proceed with the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) following Sunday’s encounter in Maguindanao that resulted in the deaths of 44 elite policemen.
While former president and now Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada is in favor of an all-out war, former President Fidel V. Ramos is appealing for sobriety and cooperation following what authorities described as a “misencounter” between MILF members and operatives from the police’s Special Action Force.
“Wala nang dahilan para ipagpatuloy pa ang peace talks diyan. Ilan pang buhay any ibubuwis natin diyan? Ano pang gagawin natin? Pababayaan na lang ba natin? Ano ‘yun, maghihintay tayo ng 40 taon ulit? Wala nang ibang magagawa kung hindi giyerahin na para magkaroon ng tunay na kapayapaan,” Estrada, who was president from 1998 to 2001, said.
During Estrada’s all-out war campaign against the MILF in 2000, most of the rebel group’s camps, including the sprawling Camp Abubakar, fell into government’s hands. Hundreds of soldiers and rebels, however, were killed while thousands of civilians were displaced.
For his part, Ramos, a former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, said that while the peace process in Mindanao will be affected by the deaths of 44 policemen in the hands of the MILF, the peace talks remain the best solution for a lasting peace in the troubled region.
“The complete and final terms of this peace process may not happen during his [Aquino’s] office, but as good Filipinos, let us all help in making it happen,” he said.
Still, Ramos had strong words for President Benigno Aquino III, who he said failed the men who look to him as their commander in chief.
“There should be no hesitation on the part of the commander in chief. Otherwise, it will be part of your legacy to be always hesitant, flip-flopping,” Ramos said.
“Pardon me for saying this, pero yan po ang damdamin ng mga sundalo. Paakyat ito sa Malacañang. Poor strategic direction of the commander in chief of the PNP and the AFP. It is the soldier, the policeman, the law enforcer, the guardian of security that suffers because of the risks,” he added.
Ramos also said Aquino should have consulted with retired soldiers and police before Sunday’s disastrous operation in Mamasapano town, which was supposed to have resulted in the arrest of Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Commander Marwan. (MNS)