THE question of imposing, or not imposing, martial law, in Sulu province, has reached a deadlock with the military and the Bangsamoro regional authority (BARMM) in favor of martial rule against the opposition of the local government headed by Gov. Abdusakur Mahail Tan.
In a radio interview this morning over radio station ‘Radyo Pilipinas’ by veteran journalist, Erwin Tulfo, Tan said martial rule did not prevent terrorist attacks from happening not only in the island, but elsewhere in Mindanao.
The entire Mindanao island was under martial law for more than two years, in the aftermath of the ‘Marawi City Siege’ between May and October 2017, when Islamic State (IS) forces attacked and occupied the city.
It was only last December 2019 that martial law was lifted, the same month the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was accused of bombing the Cotabato Catholic Cathedral, three days before Christmas, which killed 22 people.
Tan maintained that better “intelligence gathering” by the government is key in solving the spate of bombings and that more development programs, particularly in Sulu, is needed, to dissuade his constituents from joining the ASG and other extremist groups.
The proposal to place the entire Sulu island under military rule was raised by Philippine Army commanding general, Lt. Gen. Cirilo Sobejana, in the aftermath of the deadly bombing on Monday, August 24, 2020, in Jolo, which was claimed by ISIS.
Updated reports on the incident had now placed the death toll at 14, with six of them soldiers, who were immediately killed by two explosions believed carried out by two ‘suicide bombers.’
The injured included 40 civilians, 6 from the police and 24 from the military.
Murad Ebrahim, Chief Minister of BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region), in a separate interview also this morning over radio station, DZRH, told veteran news anchor, Deo Macalma, that the regional government in Muslim Mindanao, supports the military proposal to impose martial law in Sulu, which is part of BARMM.
Ebrahim said they, too, condemned last Monday’s attack and assured help to the national government in solving the incident and in maintaining peace and order in the island.
But Tan, during his interview, bared that from the very start, they are opposed to the inclusion of Sulu in BARMM, insisting the island’s development would have been faster had it been part of the national government.
“We are already 250 years behind in development,” Tan claimed, adding that instead of “tanks,” what should be brought to Sulu are “bulldozers” to speed up its development and thereby contribute to a more stable peace in the area.