Gov. Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan said the military must make sure that the "civilians’ welfare" is the foremost concern during the conduct of the operations.

Meantime, former President Fidel Ramos said he supports the operations against the Abu Sayyaf but warned against an overkill, saying intelligence efforts must be intensified.

"The entire republic must ensure a safe, secure and orderly country. Terrorist and lawless elements anywhere in the Philippines must be addressed and dealt with. The government is right in launching the military operation but we should not overkill just to eliminate the opponents" the former President said.

"The government must have an effective and efficient intelligence network on the ground and it must not be done with wiretapping. It must be done by a quite information gathering from the grass-roots," said Ramos.

Ampatuan, who was asked by Mrs. Arroyo to join her party in Zamboanga City last Thursday, said all ARMM officials have backed the government campaign to flush out the notorious rebel group.

"The rule of law must always prevail, and the going drive against lawless elements is a strong message that the national government is serious in enforcing law and order," said the regional governor.

"In the ARMM, it is our commitment to help in anyway as we have also launched our campaign against criminality through the PNP in the region," Ampatuan said.