INTERIOR and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año said on Thursday, February 21, that the 10-year-old daughter of the suicide bombers in the deadly Jolo blast is now under the care of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu.
Año, who is a former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said his sources told him that the ASG is training the 10-year-old child to become a suicide bomber like her parents.
"Based on the information provided by our sources in the mountains (of Sulu), it was confirmed that there is a 10-year old daughter who is currently in Sulu," he said in a press conference in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
"She was entrusted to the Abu Sayyaf Group under Hatib Hadjan Sawadjaan in Patikul (Sulu). This was also confirmed by some of the suspects who surrendered to us in connection with the Jolo bombing," he added.
Earlier, Año said the suicide bombers responsible for the Jolo blast on January 27 were believed to be Indonesian nationals. They left behind their 10-year-old daughter in Sulu. The bombing killed 23 people and wounded 95 others.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde said the PNP and the AFP are already hunting the said child.
Año said the child may play a vital role in the investigation of the police and the military particularly in the identification of her parents.
“We are looking for this daughter kasi maganda ma-interview mo kung saan sila galing and based on the cross matching ng DNA test malalaman na daughter talaga yan. For now we have so many sources but until we really get the official and formal confirmation, that’s the only time that we can say that they are really Indonesians,” he said. (SunStar Philippines)