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Ex-senator: Deles should be held accountable for Basilan clash


Former Senator Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel Jr. on Thursday said presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles should be held accountable for the clash between government and secessionist forces in Basilan that resulted in the death of 19 soldiers. "Sec. Deles? Is she still alive? I haven’t heard from her for a long time so really if she is still the one in charge of the peace negotiations, probably she should be called answerable for what has happened," Pimentel said during a weekly forum at the Senate on Thursday. Earlier, Deles and government peace panel head Marvic Leonen called the clash an "isolated" incident. Pimentel, however, said he wondered "how isolated is isolated." "There are any number of incidents already in the past and they will call it isolated maybe for that week. So for this week this is an isolated incident. Baka next week meron naman ibang isolated incident," he said. Also, Pimentel, who was also the principal author of the ARMM organic law, urged the Aquino administration to find all legal means possible to solve the problem. "There is no question in my mind that the ambush was really an unprovoked act, sa tingin ko. The criminals whoever did that should be punished according to our laws," he said. At least 19 soldiers, including four officers, were killed in the clash in Basilan last Tuesday. Meanwhile, GMA News' Raffy Tima on Thursday reported on News To Go that all the 49 soldiers involved in the clash, including the fatalities, have been accounted for. The MILF claimed the military intruded its territory but the military denied the allegation. — GMA News

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