MANILA, Philippines—Presidential aspirant and former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. appealed to the government on Tuesday to reinforce the police and military forces in Maguindanao and begin disarming the local politicians' private armies.

At a press conference, Teodoro condemned the massacre of local politicians, civilians and journalists in Maguindanao, saying the violence that claimed the lives of 24 (as of the latest count of bodies recovered) was "indescribable."

"I condemn in the strongest possible terms this lunacy, which occurred in Maguindanao... (There was) no justification nor idea, or what so ever, I can come up to comprehend what happened," he said.

For Teodoro, the presence of private armies has been an endemic problem in the province that must be addressed speedily.

He said a delay in the government’s response would be a “national embarrassment.”

Teodoro said the Ampatuan political clan, who has been implicated in the massacre, should surrender members of their family immediately as testimonies and pieces of evidence have been leading to them.

“We should arrest the perpetrators who ever they may be,” Teodoro added.