Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. said Monday the government is bringing in development projects to Basilan province, even as he disclosed that the military shall now be pursuing a sustained and intelligence driven campaign to completely eradicate the Abu Sayyaf threat, as ordered by President Arroyo.

Teodoro, who is vying for the presidency in the 2010 elections, is temporarily setting aside politics as he focuses on the pressing problems in the country, particularly the Abu Sayyaf Group in Mindanao and the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Botolan, Zambales and other areas that have been hit by calamities.

In a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo, the secretary said that while the military conducts manhunt operations against the bandit group and other criminal elements in the island, it shall also conduct community outreach programs, particularly in the towns of Sumisip and Tipo-tipo.

He said there will be community kitchens run by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as a way of making the people in the area feel that they have a national government that cares for them. This is aside from development projects that the government will bring in Basilan.

“Sa katunayan, in a few days or in a week’s time, mag-uumpisa na yung construction ng circumferential road ng Basilan,” Teodoro said, adding one battalion of Marine personnel will provide security to the project.

On the Abu Sayyaf Group, Teodoro said, “It’s going to be a sustained and intelligence driven fight. We have a better intelligence capabilities now. Yung point of fact niyan is yung nung first hours ng operation, nakuha lahat ng objectives, na-surprise ang mga Abu Sayyaf, yun nga lang, nung tumagal, nagka-reinforce-san yung iba,” Teodoro said, as he emphasized that the military now “have better intelligence capabilities, and we are putting local government officials, also directly responsible for helping us in the fight against the Abu Sayyaf.”

When asked about an impending Senate inquiry to last Wednesday’s Basilan incident, Teodoro said, “Karapatan ng ating senado na magconduct ng inquiry. Pero in the course of the operations ngayon, ang timing lang ng inquiry na yan ang dapat isipin na mabuti ng ating mga senador na hindi makaantala ito sa operations.”

He said the AFP is also conducting a post-incident investigation to determine what really happened.