MANILA, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should stop making demands from the government and instead help in the rescue of a foreign priest who has remained a captive in the jungles of Mindanao, Malacañang said Friday.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde slammed the doors on the demand of the group that Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno retract his statement naming an MILF commander was behind the kidnapping of Irish priest Michael Sinnott.

Remonde said Puno has his reasons for making the statement.

“The proof of the pudding is in the eating, so kung talagang hindi totoo na meron silang koneksyon sa mga taong responsible for Father Sinnott, all the more reason na ipakita nila ang sinserong pagtulong, the best way to belie accusations is ipakita nila ang sinserong pagtulong imbes na gumawa sila ng counter demand [so if the allegation that they have no connection to the kidnappers of Father Sinnott, then all the more reason that they should show their sincerity in helping the government. The best way to belie accusations is for them to show sincere efforts to help instead of making counter demands],” Remonde said in his weekly news briefing in Malacanang aired live over government-run station Radyo ng Bayan.

He said he was confident that the government and the MILF would be able to work out a mechanism to work together to help in the safe rescue of the Irish priest.

In a letter, the MILF gave the government until the end of the week to retract Puno’s statement linking the group to the kidnapping.

Sammie Almansoor, chief of staff of the MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, warned that the MILF could call off its own rescue effort if Puno would not budge on his statement.

The MILF leader said Puno’s statement has placed the group in a bad light, especially in the international community.