(Eagle News) – The Philippine National Police has declared a nationwide heightened alert following the bombings on Sunday, January 27, in a Catholic Church in Jolo, Sulu.
This came about as Interior and Local Government secretary Eduardo Año said that the bombing is possibly connected to the recent results of the Bangsamoro Organic Law plebiscite in Sulu where the “No” votes won over the “Yes” votes.
Año noted that Sunday’s bombing happened days after Sulu voters rejected the BOL with a slim margin.
PNP Spokesperson Senior Supt. Bernardino Banac said that the PNP’s nationwide heightened alert became effective on midnight of January 27.
The heightened alert includes the “intensified checkpoint operations and strict implementation of the election gun ban.”
Banac said that PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde is now in Jolo, Sulu to oversee the “post-task investigation and to personally extend the condolences of the national leaderhip.”
The casualties in the double bombing incident that hit the Catholic Church’s Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu has reached 20.
While the PNP is increasing its checkpoints in the area, Banac said that the PNP is encouraging the public to still go out and do their usual routines.
“Ang aming panawagan sa mga mamamayan ng Jolo, Sulu na sila, lumabas sila at magpatuloy ng kanilang mga pang-araw-araw na pamumuhay at huwag magpapadala sa ganitong mga pananakot,” he said.
The ‘yes’ vote lost at 137,630 as against 163,526 ‘no’ votes, based on Sulu’s Certificate of Canvass signed by the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) Provincial Plebiscite Board of Canvassers.
The Jolo Cathedral explosion left at least 20 churchgoers and security forces dead and 112 others wounded.
PNP Chief Albayalde will also visit the wounded survivors now undergoing treatment for blast injuries at the Integrated Provincial Health Office-Sulu Provincial Hospital, Sulu Sanitarium and KHTB Station Hospital in Jolo, Sulu.
A message flashed by PNP Director for Operations, Police Director Mao Aplasca, to all PNP Regional Directors, said the alert condition aims to ensure that no similar plans of terrorist groups will be carried out in other regions.
Regional Directors were instructed to “initiate further security measures to preempt and prevent similar incidents to happen in your areas.”
“Based on our best practices in PRO 11 and PRO 12, mobilizing the community to help secure the communities is very effective coupled with a better harmonized and well coordinated efforts of the PNP, AFP and LGUs,” Aplasca said.
Regional Directors were given discretionary authority to raise alert conditions in their areas of responsibility as deemed necessary.