IS claims responsibility for the attacks

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) has stepped up security on all churches in the city following the bombings at the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu.

BCPO officer-in-charge, Police Senior Superintendent Henry Biñas, said, after receiving a report on the bombings, he immediately ordered all station commanders in the city to increase their police presence at churches and all places of convergence.

At San Sebastian Cathedral on Sunday, there was visible increased presence of police officers patrolling the area. A high-ranking BCPO officer was also seen observing their presence periodically as mass was ongoing.

Biñas said he plans to hold talks with the Diocese of Bacolod to see if they could begin conducting bag searches and pat downs for all churchgoers, similar to procedures conducted at shopping malls, in order to further strengthen overall security within church premises.

On Sunday, two blasts rocked the Jolo Cathedral, killing at least 20 people and wounding 98 others.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Director-General Oscar Albayalde said the first blast happened at 8:58 a.m., while the second explosion occurred 12 to 20 seconds later.

He noted, the bombings took place during the second service of the day, the mass attended by most parishioners. A priest estimated there may have been over 100 people inside the church during the terror attack.

The PNP chief also pointed out, the church has been a target by radical Islamist groups in the past, with the local parish priest indicating they have been receiving numerous threats.

The Islamic State (IS), meanwhile, claimed responsibility for the blasts, claiming the attack was conducted by two suicide bombers. However, both the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines reported the blasts were the result of two improvised explosive devices, one planted inside the church and the other in the church’s parking area./DGB, WDJ