Philippine Army chief Lt. General Cirilito Sobejana is recommending that a martial law be enforced in the province of Sulu following the twin bombings that took place in Jolo yesterday, killing at least 15 people.
“Kung natatandaan natin noong dineklara ng ating Pangulo ‘yung martial law ay behaved ‘yung mga tao,” Sobejana told GMA News. “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.”
The army chief said that this would help curb any terrorist activities in the area.
“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,” Sobejana added.
However, some senators say that there is no need for martial law since the Anti-terrorism law is already in effect.
The entire Mindanao region has been under martial law for over two years since the war in Marawi city broke out. It ended on December 31, 2019.
The first explosion in the twin bombing on Monday took place at around 11:55AM. The explosive device was put in a motorcycle. Another blast was carried out by a suspected female suicide bomber.
