THERE was a failure to appreciate intelligence information related to the bombing inside the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City but not on the part of the police neither of the military, said Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. on Friday, December 15, 2023.
In a television interview, Teodoro echoed the position of Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who said, after a briefing on the incident, that there was a failure to appreciate intelligence in relation to the MSU bombing, which claimed the lives of four individuals.
But as to who is responsible for it, noting that there was no failure of intelligence on the part of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Teodoro said it is still under scrutiny.
“And it is safe for me to say that had there been police and Armed Forces people inside the MSu compound, the appropriate measures would have been done that would have forestalled this incident,” he said.
The secretary said they are also looking into the possible failure on the part of the university officials.
Teodoro noted that the MSU has its own security personnel and police and military officials are not allowed to get inside the university in accordance to a policy, which aims to provide a safe and healthy environment for students inside the campus.
Earlier, AFP chief of staff Romeo Brawner pointed out that had the MSU security personnel conducted inspection particularly on the bags of the people coming in to the university, the incident could have been foiled.
Authorities have arrested one person and identified several persons of interest in connection to the bombing incident, which happened on December 9. They were all members of the ISIS-linked Daulah Islamiyah. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)