Army chief recommends martial law in Sulu after deadly blasts

Philippine Army chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana on Tuesday recommended that martial law be enforced in the province of Sulu following the twin blasts that killed 15 people in Jolo town on Monday.

"Kung natatandaan natin noong dineklara ng ating Pangulo 'yung martial law ay behaved 'yung mga tao. Kaya lang noong una, nagkaroon ng kaunting negative reaction due to the stigma brought about by the 1970s martial law, but this time, nitong nakaraang martial law, talagang sila na mismo ang nag-request na kung maari ma-extend pa," Sobejana said in a radio interview.

"So siguro it's high time na ibalik po natin, if I may respectfully recommend to our President, through our chief of staff and Secretary of National Defense, na kung maibalik o maideklara muli na martial law doon sa lugar dahil sa ito, doon sa probinsiya ng Sulu dahil sa recent bombing incident na nangyari," he added.

Sobejana is suggesting the implementation of martial law amid the enforcement of the Anti-Terror Law, which has been challenged by some groups before the Supreme Court.

Martial law in Mindanao region ended last December 31, 2019, more than two years after President Rodrigo Duterte declared it due to the Marawi siege.

Sobejana said the Army is still assessing whether there is a need to deploy additional soldiers in Jolo after the deadly explosions which claimed the lives of at least 15 individuals and injured over 70 others.

Some of the victims were children, the military said.

The first explosion transpired at 11:55 a.m. in front of Paradise grocery store. Initial investigation showed that the blast had happened when an improvised explosive device, placed in a motorcycle, suddenly exploded.

The second blast, meanwhile, was trigerred by a female suicide bomber, whose nationality has yet to be identified by authorities.

Sobejana earlier said the suicide bomber could be the wife of Norman Lasuca, the first Filipino suicide bomber. — RSJ, GMA News