EDITORIAL - It's high time to erase the Abu Sayyaf

President Rodrigo Duterte has offered at least P1 million to those who can give information that would lead to the capture or killing of each of the remaining Abu Sayyaf members who slipped into a town in Bohol last week.

In his visit to Bohol last Wednesday, Duterte announced an all-out war against the terrorist group. He even expressed willingness to arm civilians if necessary in order to boost the campaign against the bandits.

The president's move comes following the deadly encounter between the government troops and the Abu Sayyaf bandits who sneaked into the town of Inabanga in Bohol from the jungles of Basilan and Sulu. At least five of the bandits were killed while those who survived the clash are now the subject of a massive manhunt in Bohol and the neighboring areas.

It has been almost three decades since the formation of Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao. But the government seems to have a hard time eradicating the group, which has been responsible for some of the deadliest bomb attacks in the country.

Since the Fidel Ramos administration, the government has been waging a costly war against the terrorist group. Hundreds of soldiers have already lost their lives as troops scoured the jungles of Basilan and Sulu in a bid to put an end to the bandits' reign of terror.

Despite years of intensified campaign against the Abu Sayyaf, the group has still managed to pull off its trade, kidnapping several Filipino and foreign nationals. Last year the bandits beheaded some of their captives who failed to meet to their ransom demands.

Many have been asking why the Abu Sayyaf is still alive and kicking despite the massive drive by the Armed Forces to eliminate the group. Has the government – from the Ramos administration to the present regime – been using the wrong strategy in its effort to defeat the bandits?

It's really high time for the government to launch a 'real' all-out campaign against the Abu Sayyaf if we want to see the terrorist group erased from the face of the earth once and for all.