Philippine military on high alert; Marcos blames university bombing on ‘foreign terrorists’

MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr condemned a deadly bombing on Dec 3, blaming “foreign terrorists”, as the police and military strengthened security in the country’s south and around the capital Manila.

At least four people were killed and 50 injured after a bomb exploded during a morning Catholic mass at a university gymnasium in Marawi – a city in the south of the country besieged by Islamist militants for five months in 2017.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists,” said Mr Marcos. “Extremists who wield violence against the innocent will always be regarded as enemies to our society.”

Law enforcement operations to bring to justice the perpetrators of the “terrorist activity” will “continue unabated”, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told a press conference.

There were “strong indications of a foreign element” in the bombing, he said, refusing to elaborate so as not to compromise ongoing investigations.

Fragments of a 16mm mortar were recovered at the scene at Mindanao State University, senior police official Emmanuel Peralta told the press conference.

The blast in Marawi, capital of Lanao del Sur province, followed a series of military operations against local pro-Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) groups – Dawlah Islamiyah-Philippines, Abu Sayyaf and Maute – in the southern Philippines, the military chief said.

This included one on Dec 3 in Lanao del Sur that led to the killing of a leader of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute group.

“It is possible that what happened this morning was a retaliatory attack,” armed forces chief Romeo Brawner told the press conference.

The ISIS-linked Maute seized Marawi in May 2017, seeking to make it a South-east Asian wilayat – or governorate – for ISIS.

In the ensuing five-month battle,

Islamist fighters and Philippine forces killed more than a thousand people, including civilians.

Urging calm, Mr Marcos posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that he had instructed the national police and armed forces “to ensure the protection and safety of civilians and the security of affected and vulnerable communities”.

“Rest assured, we will bring the perpetrators of this ruthless act to justice,” he said.

Army Major-General Gabriel Viray III called the attack at the Mindanao State University “a terror act”, speaking to reporters as explosive disposal experts were deployed.

“Right now, we are on heightened alert and our troops remain vigilant as we are determining the motive and identifying the perpetrators to really ascertain who was behind it,” Maj-Gen Viray said.

Military officials have surveyed the gymnasium, which appeared intact except for burn marks in the centre where the explosion occurred, according to images shared by the government of Lanao del Sur on its Facebook account. White plastic chairs were strewn about.

Videos posted by DZBB radio on X showed rescuers carrying injured people out of the gym on plastic chairs.

University student Chris Jurado, 21, told AFP from his hospital bed that the explosion happened during the first Bible reading of the mass. “It was really sudden and everyone ran,” he said.

“When I looked behind me, people were lying on the floor. We didn’t know what happened because everything happened so fast.”

Ms Rowena Mae Fernandez, 19, said she did not know what the blast was at first – then others started running.

“My companion and I also ran, even though we fell on the ground at one point. That was the only thing I remembered until I got out of the gym and I fell again,” she said from hospital.

“My friends were crying because they saw my injury.”

Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr said in a statement: “Terroristic attacks on educational institutions must also be condemned because these are places that promote the culture of peace.”

The Philippine military killed 11 militants on Dec 2, including members of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Philippines group, in an operation that recovered 10 high-powered firearms and three explosive devices.

“We are looking at the bomb signature to determine if the group was indeed behind it,” Maj-Gen Viray said.

The coast guard said in a statement that it had issued directives to intensify pre-departure inspection at ports.

Mindanao State University said on Facebook that it was “deeply saddened and appalled by the act of violence that occurred during a religious gathering”.

“We unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms this senseless and horrific act.”

The university said it was suspending classes until further notice and had deployed more security personnel on the campus.

“We stand in solidarity with our Christian community and all those affected by this tragedy,” it said.

Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra urged members of the Muslim and Christian communities to remain unified.

“Our city has long been a beacon of peaceful coexistence and harmony, and we will not allow such acts of violence to overshadow our collective commitment to peace and unity,” he said in a statement condemning the attack.

The military on Dec 2 said the Dawlah Islamiyah-Philippines group had been planning to mount attacks in Maguindanao del Sur province.

Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Sur are part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The country’s Muslim minority were given self-rule in Bangsamoro under former president Rodrigo Duterte as part of efforts to head off the lure of violent extremism.

Bangsamoro Government Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said he “condemned the atrocious and cowardly acts” and called for a “thorough investigation”.

Militant attacks on buses, Catholic churches and public markets have been a feature of decades-long unrest in the region.

Manila signed a peace pact with the nation’s largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, in 2014, ending its deadly armed rebellion.

But smaller bands of Muslim fighters opposed to the peace deal remain, including militants professing allegiance to the ISIS group. REUTERS, AFP, NYTIMES