(Eagle News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to President Rodrigo Duterte in connection with deadly bombings on a Catholic church on Sunday, January 27, in Jolo, Sulu which killed at least 20 people.
“A crime committed against civilians who had congregated for church services is shocking in its cynicism and cruelty. I expect that the masterminds and perpetrators of this crime will sustain the punishment they deserve,” a part of Putin’s message read.
The Russian president also reiterated his government’s “readiness to further step up interaction with our Philippine partners in combating the terrorist threat in all its forms and manifestations.”
“People in Russia share the grief of the victims’ friends and families and hope for a prompt recovery of the injured,” Putin said.
The latest violence in the Philippines’ restive south put fresh pressure Monday on peace efforts aimed at ending decades of separatist violence.
The two explosions on Sunday tore through the Catholic cathedral in Jolo, shattering pews and windows, killing worshippers at Sunday mass and security forces in one the nation’s worst bombings in years.
Experts voiced concern on Monday over the impact the attack would have on a decades-long push for peace that culminated last week in voters approving expanded Muslim self-rule in the south.
The vote was the result of negotiations started in the 1990s with the nation’s largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and will give it considerable power over the so-called Bangsamoro region. (with a report from Agence France Presse)
