Security personnel standing outside the ruins of a church in which two bombs were detonated, killing 20 people in Jolo, Mindanao, on Jan 27 last year. -AFP
MANILA: The year 2019 started with a bang in the Philippines with a series of suicide bombings in Sulu.
In late January, two explosions inside a church in Jolo claimed 20 lives and left dozens injured.
The second explosion occurred near a military detachment, also in Sulu. One of the bombers, identified as Norman Lasuca, was a local who was allegedly trained by an Abu Sayyaf faction.
In Indanan, Sulu, a woman feigning pregnancy detonated a bomb, killing herself in the process. Security forces were able to neutralise potential bombers reported to be plotting to cause chaos in the area.
The military said five suicide bombers in Sulu were under the care of Hajan Sawadjaan, one of Abu Sayyaf’s leaders tagged by the United States as the new emir of the Islamic State in Southeast Asia.
Last year, Beijing and Manila were almost involved in a diplomatic crisis after an incident along the Reed Bank on the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), in which a Chinese vessel rammed into a Filipino boat with 22 fishermen on board on June 9.
President Rodrigo Duterte, a staunch supporter of China, labelled the sinking a “little maritime accident”.
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana admitted that China’s activities in the disputed sea were beyond the Philippines’ defence capabilities.
While terrorism and sea disputes continue to threaten the nation’s security, the real challenge comes from enemies closer to home .
Lorenzana said the New People’s Army (NPA) and the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines had infiltrated all sectors of society and government.
“We need to have a better strategy to defeat them.”
One strategy was the formation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, with Duterte and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr as co-chairmen.
Lorenzana said he did not see any new challenges when asked on expectations for the coming year.
“What do I expect next year? More of the same thing. Our enemies will remain the same: NPA, IS-affiliated terrorists and the West Philippine Sea disputes.”
https://www.nst.com.my/world/region/2020/01/552495/philippines-bracing-more-violence-bombings
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