Envoy objects to linking of Indonesians to Jolo blasts pending probe

Indonesia's ambassador to the Philippines is set to formally seek clarification from the Philippine government regarding claims that an Indonesian couple was behind the January 27 suicide bombing attacks on a Roman Catholic church in Jolo, Sulu.

A report on the Indonesian-language news site BeritaSatu said Ambassador Sinyo Harry Sarundajang aims to send a "verbal note" to Philippine Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. asking for clarification and at the same time express objections to the lack of notification of alleged involvement of Indonesian citizens in the Jolo incident.

Twenty-three people were killed while more than 100 were injured when a bomb went off inside a packed Our Lady of Mount Carmel cathedral on the morning of January 27, to be followed by another one outside minutes later.

Citing sources, Año, a former military chief of staff, said the incident was a case of suicide bombing involving an Indonesian couple, although he admitted on February 5 that identifying them may "take time."

Año said the couple, who reportedly left behind a 10-year-old child still in the Philippines, received assistance from the Abu Sayyaf, a small but violent band of Islamic fundamentalists.

In a separate report on Antara, Harry said the Indonesian Embassy in Manila and the Indonesian Consulate General in Davao contacted the Philippines' National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and it reportedly said it does not know Año's basis for making the claim.

"When contacted by the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, the NICA informally expressed its openness to conduct an investigation together with the Indonesian government," said Harry.

In the BeritaSatu report, Harry noted that the Philippine government has repeatedly linked Indonesians to terrorist attacks — like the one in Lamitan City, Basilan, on July 31, 2018, and New Year's Eve blast in Cotabato City last year — without concrete proof.

"However, the results of the investigation show that there was no involvement of Indonesian citizens in the two bombings, as stated by the officials and the media reports," the ambassador was quoted as saying in the report.

Sarundajang also reportedly said that residents and families of the Jolo bombing victims refuse to believe that the attack was perpetrated by Indonesian suicide bombers.

In the same report, Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi said there is no concrete proof yet that the perpetrators of the twin bombing attacks were Indonesians, according to 

"Until now, the investigation process is still ongoing, so it cannot be ascertained that the perpetrators are Indonesian citizens," she was quoted as saying. —KBK, GMA News