MANILA, Philippines—Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles should be fired from her post if she insists on pursuing peace talks with the Moro rebels responsible for the deaths of 19 soldiers in Basilan, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile said on Thursday.
“My God! What assurance can that Deles give the nation that the peace process will go through in this kind of situation? She’s insisting on a peace process when the soldiers of the republic are being killed,” an irked Enrile said. “That Deles should be fired if she insists on a peace process that she cannot handle.”
Enrile then urged the government to stop the peace talks with the Moro rebels and run after those responsible for the latest incident.
“What peace talks are we talking about when they’re engaging us in combat? There is a ceasefire, they’re engaging us in combat,” he said.
“They better break it up and conduct an operation unless the MILF will surrender those people who committed that,” he further said.
Besides, Enrile said he doubts the attack against the government troops had a prior clearance from the MILF leadership.
If it was not cleared, Enrile said the MILF leadership should run after its renegade members.