Aquino administration to retain members of gov’t. peace panel

President Benigno S. Aquino III will not change the composition of the government's peace negotiating team despite a lawmaker’s call to replace the administration's peace adviser and chief negotiator for peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, in a privilege speech on Wednesday (March 11), called on the President to change the members of the peace panel because of their apparent bias towards the MILF.

Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. however said that the President has no plan to replace the members of the peace panel.

"Naninindigan ang Pangulo hinggil sa kakayahan at integridad ng mga bumubuo ng ating peace panel—mula kay (Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process) Secretary Teresita Deles at kay Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, bilang chairperson ng (peace) panel, at ang mga kasapi nito," Coloma said.

"Ang mga impormasyon na mayroon siya tungkol doon sa umano’y pagkanlong ng MILF, doon sa allegation that the MILF coddled Marwan, should be referred to the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs that heard the different resource persons regarding the Mamasapano incident," he said.

"At habang hindi pa naman naglalabas ng ulat ang mga ito, maaari naman niyang ibigay iyon bilang input mismo sa pagsisiyasat ng Senado."

Coloma noted that although Cayetano's speech was mostly about his doubts on the sincerity of the MILF in the peace process, the Aquino administration remains committed to the peace talks.

He pointed out that the negotiation between the government and the MILF has been going through the right process in the past five years and was only interrupted by the Mamasapano incident.

With many investigating bodies looking into the deadly incident, the government is confident that the truth will come out, Coloma said.

"Kaya’t patuloy na naninindigan si Pangulong Aquino na kailangang ipagpatuloy ang pagdaloy ng prosesong pangkapayapaan dahil mahalaga ito sa pambansang interes ng Pilipinas," he said.

Several bodies have launched their respective investigations of the incident -- the Senate, the Philippine National Police' Board of Inquiry, the Department of Justice, the International Monitoring Team (IMT), and the Commission on Human Rights.

The MILF is also doing its own probe, although an official said they will submit their report only to Malaysia, the facilitator for the peace talks.

A total of 44 members of the police’s Special Action Force perished in the Mamasapano clash. The MILF reported losing 18 combatants to the encounter. Several civilians were also reported to have died in the incident. (PCOO News Release)