The Philippine National Police’s chief refused to fire police officers allegedly tied in Jolo, Sulu twin bombings that left at least 15 people dead.
The PNP chief said he wants to see concrete evidence before deciding if he will sack or suspend police officers.
“Unless there is sufficient evidence establishing criminal involvement or administrative lapses leading to the attack, the PNP maintains full confidence in our ground personnel,” police chief Gen. Archie Gamboa told reporters.
The 2 female bombers who carried out Monday’s attack at the Jolo town plaza were the same targets of 4 soldiers before they were gunned down by 9 policemen in the southern town last June, military officials earlier said.
The military is looking into suspected blood relations between the 9 officers and the bombers, Western Mindanao Command chief Major General Corleto Vinluan Jr.
Following this development, Sen. Risa Hontiveros and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon had called for the suspension of the entire Jolo police force.
“Habang hindi sila suspendido (while they are not yet suspended), does that mean that these officers are still performing their functions and still accessing intelligence materials? [That is] deeply concerning in terms of risk to our national security,” Hontiveros said.
Instead, Gamboa said he has ordered the Bangsamoro police and the Special Action Force to deploy more officers in Jolo.
