Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LEO M. SABANGAN II
MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang told lawmakers to set their priorities straight amid threats by the militant bloc in the House of Representatives to impeach President Benigno Aquino III for his role in the Special Action Force (SAF) operation.
“Our focus now is for us to push and win the fight against terrorism and continue the peace process. I hope that elected representatives of our country will put in their minds and feelings the more important priorities of the country,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said.
He said it was up to the Makabayan bloc if it wanted to proceed with impeaching the President.
ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said the President should take responsibility for the mission’s failure if it was determined that he gave the green light for the SAF assault on Mamasapano to get Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan.”
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. scoffed at the Makabayan bloc’s threat to impeach Mr. Aquino.
“Ridiculous,” Belmonte said. “The President is doing what, in his view, is in the best interest of the country.”
Coloma expressed confidence that Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, PNP officer in charge, would continue to uplift the morale of the police amid a plan by the members of the PNP Alumni Association to go on a mass leave.