Philippine Government Vows to Arrest Perpetrators
The Philippines’ President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, condemned a deadly bombing on Sunday, which resulted in at least four fatalities and 50 injuries. President Marcos blamed “foreign terrorists” for the attack that took place during a morning Catholic Mass in a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city besieged by Islamist militants in 2017.
In a press conference, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated that law enforcement operations to bring the perpetrators of the “terrorist activity” to justice will “continue unabated”. Teodoro also mentioned that there were “strong indications of a foreign element” in the bombing, without elaborating further to avoid compromising ongoing investigations.
The blast in Marawi followed a series of military operations against local pro-Islamic State groups in the southern Philippines, including one on Sunday in Lanao del Sur that led to the killing of a leader of the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute group. The Armed Forces Chief, Romeo Brawner, suggested that the bombing could have been a retaliatory attack.
The Islamic State-linked Maute group seized Marawi in May 2017, sparking a five-month battle that claimed over a thousand lives. The military is currently surveying the gym at the Mindanao State University, where the explosion occurred during the Mass.
High alert has been declared in police offices in Mindanao and the capital region, with intensified monitoring and tightened checkpoints to prevent possible follow-up incidents. The coast guard has also directed its districts to intensify pre-departure inspections at ports.
The Mindanao State University has condemned the act of violence, which led to the suspension of classes until further notice. The government vows to arrest the perpetrators of the bombing, with ongoing investigations and heightened security measures to prevent any further attacks.