MANILA -- Philippine President Joseph Estrada on Saturday said he was suspending peace efforts with the main Muslim insurgent group after the police pointed to their hand in deadly bomb blasts in Manila, AFP reported.

"For now, we'll suspend that. Anyway, it was not (fully started) yet so there'll be ongoing operations against the MILF (the Moro Islamic Liberation Front)," Estrada said, referring to moves to reopen peace talks with the separatist group.

His statements came after police said they had proof linking the top leadership of the MILF to five deadly bomb blasts that rocked Manila on December 30, killing 22 people and injuring almost a hundred others.

"We cannot tolerate this. What they have done is a major blow not only in the lives of people but also in the livelihood of people, in terms of foreign investment, tourists and our economy," Estrada added.

The president said he would meet top security officers later Saturday to discuss the bombings and the situation with the MILF which is fighting for a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines.

Talks with the 13,000-strong MILF collapsed last year after the military overran most of the guerrillas' major camps and the government slapped arrest warrants on its leaders for allegedly planning a spate of bomb attacks in shopping malls that claimed one life.

However Manila has recently been making overtures to the group again, even suspending the arrest warrants against its leaders.