Estrada confident on peace and order team

Now Erap can relax.

The President said so himself yesterday as he expressed confidence that his new peace and order team will be able to deal with any threats to his government.

The team is composed of Interior and Local Government Secretary Alfredo Lim, Philippine National Police chief Deputy Director General Panfilo Lacson, Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado and Armed Forces chief Gen. Angelo Reyes.

"Carry on with the good work," Mr. Estrada told the four officials who guested on his radio show Jeep ni Erap.

He said he is elated that his administration is able to show to the public that "we really mean business to keep peace and order in our country."

Mr. Estrada said he can relax now that there is closer coordination between the police and the military.

"I think this is the first time that the military, police and civilians are together (in preserving) peace and order in our country," he said.

The President said, "We will exhaust all remedies to improve our peace and order."

But referring to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Mr. Estrada said, "If we see that they are really trying to fool us...we will show them that we have only one government and one armed forces of the Philippines."

He reiterated he was sticking to a deadline that the MILF must agree to a peace accord by the end of June, or " we will go after them with the full force of the law."

The MILF welcomes the deadline though. "We see no problem with it. We even want that if it's possible, we immediately come out with a solution even tomorrow morning," said Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs.

Both sides resume their peace negotiations in Maguindanao tomorrow.

The peace talks, which started in 1997, have often been marred by sporadic skirmishes between state and rebel forces, the latest of which were this week's hostilities in three towns in Maguindanao.

For his part, Defense Under-secretary Orlando Soriano, the government's chief negotiator, said the deadline can be worked out "as long as the MILF will be sincere in dealing with the government."

Military officials in the South, however, reported yesterday that a militiaman was killed and four others were wounded when they were ambushed by MILF guerrillas in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao last Thursday.

The militiamen were accompanying soldiers securing a highway that the MILF blocked early this week. -- With Edith Regalado, Roel Pareño and John Unson