17 dead, 43 wounded as bombs hit southern Philippines church
27 January, 2019
Twin bombings during a Sunday church service on a predominantly Muslim island in the volatile southern Philippines killed at least 17 people, among them civilians and security forces, the military said.
Armed forces spokesman Edgard Arevalo told DZMM radio that five soldiers and 12 civilians were confirmed dead and 43 were wounded.
The first blast went off while churchgoers were inside the Jolo Cathedral in Sulu province, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf militant group. A second deadly blast went off in the parking lot.
"The motive is surely ... terrorism. These are people who do not want peace. It is sad that this happened right after the Bangsamoro law was ratified," Besana said.
Jolo lies in the proposed Bangsamoro Muslim-majority autonomous region, which local voters overwhelmingly approved last week.
The island is also a base of the Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf, which is blamed for the worst terror attacks in the nation's history.
Last week voters decisively approved a more powerful autonomous region in the Philippines' south, which is hoped will bring peace and development after decades of fighting that have killed thousands and mired the area in poverty.
Sulu province - which includes Jolo - voted against the creation of the new region, with its governor questioning the law establishing the area before the Supreme Court.
Despite Sulu's vote, legislation provides that the province will still be included in the new political entity as voters from across the current autonomous region voted in favour of it on the whole.
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