Duterte orders military to crush Abu Sayyaf ”by whatever means”

January 29, 2019

DAVAO CITY - President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the military to destroy the Abu Sayyaf after he inspected a church struck by twin blasts that left at least 20 people dead in Jolo on Sunday.

"I order you to destroy the organization. I’m ordering you now: destroy the Abu Sayyaf by whatever means," Duterte said.

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-linked Abu Sayyaf, has claimed responsibility for the bombings.

"If you bomb them, relocate the residents. Remove the residents and place them in an area. I will spend on their food, everything. And then cut the Abu Sayyaf with bullets," he said..

"Our duty is to protect the Filipino people. And second is that we have to preserve the nation. If we lose Jolo, even one island there, well, we have failed in our mission to preserve the territory of the Republic of the Philippines," he said.

Duterte said the Abu Sayyaf is “without ideology that declared loyalty to the evil movements of ISIS”, whiich he said was unlike the Moro National Liberation Front of Nur Misuari and the MILF both of which, he said, were waging a revolution.

Duterte met with the victims' relatives at Camp Teodulfo Bautista Multipurpose Hall “where he provided the victims' families financial assistance and vowed to give justice to their loved ones”, Malacanang said.

He also visited wounded soldiers  at Camp Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital and awarded them the Order of Lapu-Lapu with Rank of Kampilan.

Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim, chairman of the MILF said he directed his men  in Sulu “to intensify their information gathering and to cooperate and coordinate with concern local authorities investigating the incident”.

Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said “first responders are still working to assist the families of the people killed in the attack, as well as the wounded. We condole with the families of the people who were killed in the attack, and will do what we can to aid the wounded”.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said the residents of Sulu should not be cowed by the bombings.

“Davao City has also its own experience of terrorism that resulted in death and destruction, but we refused to be cowed or be defeated by the devils behind it.” she said. Dabawenyos pray that Jolo and its people will also stand and rise with dignity and strong resolve to overcome this tragedy and deliver the perpetrators to the government so that justice may be served.” DMS