Mindanao execs condemn Jolo church bombing

Photo from FB post of Clarence Ann Arasad Fullero of Jolo, Sulu

DAVAO CITY -- Mindanao officials on Sunday condemned the deadly bombing inside a church in Barangay Walled City, Jolo, Sulu that left at least 17 dead and scores wounded.

"We condemn in strongest terms this murderous act that has victimized innocent lives in Jolo. This dastardly act of insanity should not be allowed to instill fear to our peace-loving populace,” Secretary Datu Abul Khayr Alonto, chairman of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), said in a press statement Sunday.

Alonto vowed that government security forces will track down those responsible and bring the ruthless killers to justice.

“Hand in hand, let us strengthen our resolve to overcome the evil designs of those cowards behind this senseless act,” Alonto urged Mindanaoans.

Alonto also called on all citizens to unite and help the government rid the society of this "menace" that threatens the gains of peace and development efforts.

PBA Party-List Representative and Sulu caretaker-congressman, Jericho Nograles, also condemned the Jolo bombing in the strongest term.

“We offer our condolences to the families of the victims. We pray for your loss and grieve with you,” Nograles said in a press statement.

He also called on the military and the police to bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.

Nograles said the incident was a cowardly act that will only strengthen the government's resolve to rid Sulu of terrorists.

“I trust President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his administration will do the best they can for Sulu and the Philippines,” he added.

The Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) also sympathized with the people and condemned the bombing incident.

Maj. Gen. Felimon Santos, commander of the Eastmincom, ordered close monitoring and coordination with Armed Forced of the Philippines (AFP) counterparts in Western Mindanao and other law enforcement agencies like the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) for better situation analysis.

“Our security mechanism is in place to ensure the safety of everyone,” Santos assured the public.

He further assured that the troops have heightened the alert level in the Eastmincom area, particularly all places of worship and places of convergence.

“Be informed, however, that we have not received any hard information that any of our areas is directly under threat,” he added.

Santos called on the people to be more vigilant and cooperative with authorities through reporting any security-related concerns.

Santos, who recently assumed the helm of Eastmincom, also asked the people to remain calm and avoid spreading false information as it could only cause panic in the communities. (PNA)