JOLO, Sulu, Philippines – The police director in Sulu has been relieved of his post, following the Christmas Day bombing of the chapel inside a police camp in Jolo that resulted in the wounding of 11 people, including a priest and a nine-year-old girl.

The Police Regional Office (PRO) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) relieved Senior Superintendent Sheppard Reyes as Sulu Police Provincial Office (PPO) director on the ground of command responsibility for security lapses.

Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director, said the action against Reyes was based on an order from the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership.

Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan said that no less than President Benigno S. Aquino III was “unhappy” over the bombing inside the Evangelical Chapel located inside Camp Asturias, the headquarters of the Sulu PPO.

Tan said Reyes admitted allegedly that there was a police security lapse inside and outside the church perimeter when the attack happened at 7:15 a.m. of December 25.

About 100 worshippers were reportedly attending the Christmas Day Mass when the blast rocked the chapel, injuring 11 people.

Latag said Reyes is temporarily replaced by his deputy until such time that the Senior Officers Placement and Promotions Board in Camp Crame approved a permanent Sulu provincial commander.

It was learned that Reyes had just assumed the post of acting Sulu PPO several days before the explosion inside the Jolo chapel.

“In fairness to him (Reyes), he is doing his job well but something happened and there is an instruction from the higher ups so we have to implement the order, that is, to relieve him,” said Latag.

“There appears to be security lapses and we are leaving all these matters to the investigation being conducted,” he added.

Immediately after the explosion, the PNP leadership created a fact-finding panel aimed at determining whether or not there were lapses on the part of local security officials.

This, after a police intelligence report revealed that both the police and the military had already learned of the possible bombing activities in Catholic churches in some parts of Mindanao even before the attack.

“Prior to the incident, Sulu PPO (Provincial Police Office) and Philippine Marines had intelligence information that Catholic Church to include Asturias Chapel (referring to the bombed Evangelical Chapel) would be bombed,” a police report reaching Camp Crame in Quezon City revealed.

The same report stated that the bombings would be perpetrated by the ASG, with ASG members Sali Said, Najib Magdal, Alhabsi Misaya, Kahil Kadih and certain Alal and Khan as the ones tasked to carry out the plot.

Latag admitted that they indeed such report but stressed that they could not just attribute the explosion to the Abu Sayyaf, stressing that an investigation will still have to be conducted in order to come up with an intelligent conclusion as to the brains behind the explosion.

“There is intelligence report on that but it does not necessarily mean that the Abu Sayyaf was responsible for that, we have to wait for the result of the investigation,” said Latag.

Security measures further intensified

Following the Jolo chapel blast that drew condemnation from no less than the Vatican, the PNP leadership ordered all its regional commanders to intensify security measures across the country to prevent the repeat of the incident.

In a memorandum obtained by the Manila Bulletin, the PNP leadership tasked all police commanders to strictly implement intensified beat patrols and maximize police visibility in a 24/7 (24-hour, seven-day) basis.

The order, dated December 27 and signed by the PNP director for Operations (Chief Supt. Josefino Cataluna), the PNP leaderships wants all regional directors to:

1. Conduct regular foot/beat and mobile patrols in highly populated areas;
2. Increase number and frequency of visibility and deterrent patrols especially in malls, churches, entertainment centers, bus stations, jeepney terminals, markets, people’s parks, theme parks, and other convergence places;
3. Establish checkpoints in key intersections leading to and from the city/town proper;
4. Impelement the three-tiered defense system, particularly target-hardening of vital installations;
5. Intensify intelligence and counter-intelligence activities on various threat groups; and;
6. Review and improve security preparations and other public safety measures for the protection of general public.

For his part, Gov. Tan citedthe need to for all sectors to cooperate with heightened security measures.

“We should not solely rely on the police and military for our security. We should also contribute by becoming vigilant and to report any suspicious persons to the police,” he said.

Jolo Mayor Hussin Amin has asked his policemen here to stay vigilant at all times to prevent a similar incident in the coming days.

Amin condemned the bombing, calling it “very unfortunate to the Christian people” who were attending the mass on Christmas Day.

“As former regional trial court judge and congressman of Sulu 1st district, I think it would now be proper for the entire police force here to review their security plan for the province and this capital town,” Amin said.