KIKO ON THE 20 SOLDIERS KILLED IN SULU...
"Are we sending our young men out to die in the fields because of the incompetence of their superiors?"

"What is happening in our Armed Forces? General Esperon must explain to the public why we are facing a string of setbacks despite the billions being poured into the military establishment year after year. Is anyone in charge? How many more lives will be lost until officers are made to account for their incompetence? There is much explaining to do and much more accounting to be done later. The buck stops with Esperon to explain why we are being clobbered in the field despite pronouncements that we will end the insurgency in three years. Are we all being taken for a ride here? Are we sending our young men out to die in the fields because of the incompetence of their superiors?"

"We hope that Secretary Teodoro will exercise the political will to rid the AFP of incompetents and whip the generals and soldiers into line so that we can make major headway in achieving a just, honorable and lasting peace in the country in our lifetime. While we should not hesitate to unleash the swords of war as a means to exercise the use of legitimate force, Sun Tzu has said that the real victor is the one who conquers the enemy without firing a shot. A combination of both the readiness to deploy a lethal and effective fighting machine coupled with aggressive negotiations with the rebels is a strategy worth considering. We need a new and fresh approach to addressing the decades-old armed hostilities in the countryside. We hope Sec. Teodoro can work towards achieving this end."