MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte was angered by the bombing of a Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu which took the lives of at least 20 people, Malacañang said Monday.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the president would be visiting the blast site in Jolo this afternoon.
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"For another, he is so disappointed that despite the movement to tread the path towards peace and development there are still certain forces in that region who sow terror and kill and murder people," Panelo said in a press briefing.
According to Panelo, Duterte has ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to secure the safety of the residents in the area while investigations are ongoing.
The military was also directed to assist the families of those who were killed in the bombing.
'Martial law in Mindanao still effective'
Following Duterte's directive to the military, Panelo said the incident in Jolo calls for a more strict implementation of security measures in the area.
Asked if the implementation of martial law in Mindanao was still effective, Panelo said the Jolo Cathedral bombing was "isolated."
"There may be some lapses in security, how they were able to put there that motorcycle with a bomb despite the fact that there were soldiers securing the place," Panelo said.
The Malacañang spokesman pointed out that there was "no other reasonable conclusion."
The twin bombing in Jolo, Sulu came days before the Supreme Court is set to hold oral arguments on the petitions questioning the constitutionality of the third extension of martial law in Mindanao.
The high court earlier ordered the government to submit the Department of National Defense's monthly or periodic reports last year on the implementation of martial law.
The House of Representatives' "Magnificent Seve," the Makabayan bloc and a human rights group led by Christian Monsod, one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, will present their arguments before the court. — Patricia Lourdes Viray