Philippine president confident of military, police loyalty: official

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III is confident that the military and the police would not betray him amid strong criticisms against him following an operation against suspected terrorists which resulted in the deaths of 44 police commandos, a senior government official said Thursday.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that there was no need for Malacanang, the presidential palace, to conduct loyalty check among the men in uniform.

"The President has full trust to our Armed Forces and the police and on our strong democratic institutions," he said in a news briefing in Malacanang.

There were uproars from some sectors for the president to resign after 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force were killed in the clash with the alleged members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite the ongoing peace process.

The MILF is the largest Muslim rebel group in the country.

The clash took place on Jan. 25 in Mamasapano town in southern Philippine province of Maguindanao, where SAF members conducted an operation targeting Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, the alleged leader of Jemaah Islamiyah in southeast Asia, and Abdul Basit Usman of the local terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group.

Marwan was killed in the operation, while Usman managed to escape. Endi