MANILA, Philippines – How did the President take the news of the death of dozens of elite cops? With “logic and objectivity.”

On Monday, January 26, Malacañang said President Benigno Aquino III continued to receive reports on what happened in Maguindanao that resulted in the killing of at least 49 members of the Special Action Forces (SAF).

“Our President continues to receive news and, in all instances, he receives it using logic and objectivity,” Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr told reporters.

On Sunday, January 25, clashes in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao, tested a nearly one-year-old peace accord between the Aquino government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). An MILF spokesman earlier said they suffered 5 casualties.

The SAF’s target was alleged Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli Abdhir, better known as “Marwan,” who survived a 2012 military airstrike that was meant to kill him in Sulu. (READ: Dead or alive? Top terrorist was cops’ target)

But Mamasapano is an MILF bailiwick, and the MILF said the SAF attacked the area without coordinating with them.

It is the first major encounter between the MILF and government troops since the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro last year. Advocates are hoping that the incident will not affect the talks.

Coloma gave assurances the push for peace between the government and the MILF continues.

“The view of the government has not changed. The peace process is important for Mindanao, it is important to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law, and we continue to promote the peace process,” he said.

Coloma admitted, however, that reports are still unclear and incomplete, which is why the President ordered Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II to go to Cotabato to get the details of the encounter.

Coloma was noticeably cautious in his responses, refusing to comment on anything further, absent of complete details, such as the supposed lack of coordination between the cops and the military, as well as the manner the cops were killed.

“This is why it’s important for us to know the full order of events and the truth because it is not just for us to make conclusions, and [for us] to react to unverified information,” he said.

As of Monday, 49 bodies of slain cops were recovered by the government. Recovery operations continue. – with reports from Karlos Manlupig and Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler.com