THE Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the twin bombings in Jolo, Sulu that killed 20 people and wounded nearly 100 others.
Site Intelligence Group said in its website that the international terror group, through its news agency Amaq, issued a formal communication on the "dual suicide bombings."
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde said in an interview during his visit to Jolo Monday, January 28, they are not discounting any possibility regarding those who may be responsible for the blasts.
He said investigators are gathering pieces of evidence to identify the perpetrators.
"Sa ngayon, wala pang masabi kung anong klaseng bomba dahil walang marecover na mga residue at mga parts, although may mga nakuha silang mga 'yung parts na cellphone, although hindi pa nila masabi kung ito ay cellphone detonated dahil marami namang may cellphone sa loob pero ang hinala nila most probably, talagang cellphone detonated dahil nasa timing ito at' yung diperensya ng timing nung isang blast at 'yung pangalawa around mga 12 to 15 seconds, so talagang ito ay electronically detonated ang hinala ng ating EOD (Explosives Ordnance Division)," he said.
(We cannot yet say what kind of bomb was set off, because we have not yet recovered parts of the bomb. What they recovered were parts of a cellphone, but we cannot say whether it was cellphone-detonated because they found a lot of cellphones inside the church. Our Explosives Ordnance Division believe it was cellphone-detonated based on the timing of the blasts.)
"May mga tinitingnan mga threat groups. Of course, may mga nagsasalita dyan na sila daw ang may gawa. Tinitingnan din natin ang mga iyon at meron din tayong mga tinitingnang threat groups dito, marami kasing pwedeng mainvolve na threat groups dito at, of course, kapag nakuha or nareconstruct natin 'yung IED (improvised explosive device) na ginamit, then from there, most probably, malalaman natin kung sino gumawa," he added.
(There are groups saying they were responsible for the blasts, but we are also looking into threat groups, because several groups may be involved. If we can recover and reconstruct the IED used, then we could identify who were behind the attacks.)
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo, for his part, said they suspect that the local terrorist group Abu Sayyaf is behind the incident.
"Ang ating early suspicion ay mga miyembro ng Abu Sayyaf base na rin po sa ibang impormasyon na nakalam natin partikular ang CCTV footage," he said.
(We suspect the Abu Sayyaf based on the information we get from the CCTV footage.)
"Be that as it may, we are not discounting any other possibility na meron pang iba na maging suspek dito sa naging pagsabog na ito (that there may be other groups behind the blasts)," he added.
A total of 20 people -- five soldiers and 15 civilians -- were killed, while 98 other, including two policemen and several other soldiers, were wounded went two IEDs went off at the cathedral in Jolo.
Albayalde said the first blast happened inside the church around 8:58 a.m., while the second occurred at the church's parking area at least 15 seconds later.
"Yes nagmimisa. Halos nasa second reading palang daw nung pumutok itong unang IED... Halos puno daw dahil yun daw mga ganun ay yun ang madalas na pinupuntahan ng tao 'yung second mass, so ang thinking ng pari is more or less nasa mga 100 yung nasa loob," he said.
(The mass was ongoing when the bomb exploded. The church was almost full because most people usually attend the second mass, so the priest believes there were more or less 100 people inside.)
Albayalde said security forces in the area beefed up their operations, while Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana ordered a lockdown to contain the area.
He said police checkpoints and road blockings have been positioned strategically in Jolo to avoid similar incidents. (SunStar Philippines)