MANILA - Former president Joseph Estrada on Saturday said that the declaration of martial law in the province of Maguindanao is "not necessary" to bring peace and order to the area.

"They should be able to arrest those behind the Magindanao massacre and bring justice to the victims without declaring Martial Law," Estrada said in a press statement released by the United Opposition (UNO).

"A Martial Law declaration is not necessary to bring peace and order and achieve justice for the victims of the Maguindanao massacre. My administration was able to overrun the 46 camps of the MILF in Mindanao without declaring Martial Law," was quoted as saying.

During his presidency, Estrada ordered offensives against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in an all-out war against the separatists. The military overran 46 camps of the MILF, including the main camp, Camp Abubakar.

"In the Maguindanao case there is no desire to overthrow the government but there is a complete disregard of the laws of the land and extreme violence. That is why although lawless violence is a basis for Martial Law under the Constitution, President Estrada believes that swift military action is all that is necessary, without having to resort to authoritarian rule in the area," Estrada spokesperson Margaux Salcedo was quoted as saying.

"What is needed in Maguindanao is for the government to fully enforce the law. It is ironic that the Arroyo administratrion now considers martial law as a last recourse to discipline a political ally," Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, Estrada's running mate in the 2010 elections, said in the statement.

"Ang mga mamamayan ng Maguindanao ang maaapektuhan ng kakulangan ng pamahalaan na ipatupad ang batas," Binay said.

He also said that the situation in the province is a result of the current administration's "unequal application of the law," attributing the lawlessness to the 'tolerance' of 'misdeeds' of political allies like the Ampatuans.

Meanwhile, Agusan del Sur Rep. Ompong Plaza, UNO candidate for senator, warned that declaring Martial Law will cause more hostilities instead of achieve justice and peace and order in Mindanao, despite the declaration being limited to one province.

"Martial Law is the more dangerous approach because any attempt to disarm a member of the MILF, whether intended or mistaken, will lead to further, possibly greater hostilities. It entertains a possibility of an escalation of violence, even to other areas of Mindanao, keeping the situation open-ended," Plaza said in the UNO statement.