INDONESIAN suicide bombers aided by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf were behind the Sunday twin blasts at the Jolo Cathedral, Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Año said Friday.
“Ang talagang nagpasabog doon ay Indonesian suicide bombers. Pero yung mga Abu Sayyaf ang nag-guide sa kanila, nag-aral ng target, nag-reconnaissance, surveillance at inihatid yung mag-asawa doon sa loob ng simbahan,” Mr. Año told reporters in a televised chance interview in Leyte.
(Indonesian suicide bombers are really the ones who bombed the area. But the Abu Sayyaf was the one who guided them, who studied the target, did the reconnaissance, surveillance, and brought the couple inside the church.)
The Cabinet official made the statement after he substituted for President Rodrigo R. Duterte who was scheduled to attend the Barangay Summit for Peace and Order in Leyte Friday afternoon. The President decided to skip the event because of “some pressing commitment,” Mr. Año said.
“Ang nakarating sa akin (What I received) is I should represent the President because of some pressing commitment,” Mr. Año said.
The military has considered the possibility of suicide bombers being involved in the Sunday Jolo blast, with Mr. Duterte saying after being briefed by security officials this week that the bombers were a male and a female.
The President also mentioned last Tuesday that the government was warned “by Indonesia” about the terror in Jolo.
Two bombs exploded at Jolo Cathedral last Sunday, Jan. 27 about a week after the plebiscite on the Bangsamoro Organic Law. According to authorities, the death toll from the blast has already reached more than 20. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

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