Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 4) — The Senate wants to have an executive session with defense and intelligence agencies to be briefed on the deadly blast at the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City on Sunday.
At the chamber’s plenary on Monday, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri told the Senate secretary to invite the Department of National Defense, the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the National Security Council, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency to an executive session on Wednesday.
“We appeal to our people not to be afraid and not to be cowed by this incident. We continue to do our daily lives and show them that we are not afraid and we will continue to stand up against violence,” Zubiri added.
Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, who chairs the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, delivered a privilege speech on the bombing, which killed four people and injured 46 others during a Sunday morning Catholic service at a gymnasium inside the MSU campus.
“I am a living, breathing witness, regardless of your religion, peace and love constitute the rule rather than the exception for all at MSU,” said Dela Rosa, an alumnus of the university.
“This is how and why I’m so certain that this is a terrorist attack. It is not rooted in any authentic acceptance of God and holiness,” he added.
The speech and other manifestations of senators were referred to the Senate committee on national defense and security, peace, unity, and reconciliation and the Dela Rosa-led panel.
Sen. JV Ejercito also filed on Monday a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate “strongly condemning in the highest possible terms” the bombing, as well as urging military and law enforcement agencies to take necessary steps to bring the perpetrators to justice.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly explosion. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also blamed foreign terrorists in his statement Sunday.
READ: ISIS claims deadly blast at Catholic mass in southern Philippines
Prior to his speech, Dela Rosa told reporters that there might be a possible “failure of intelligence” in the attack.
“Dahil hindi na-monitor or kung na-monitor man nila [It’s because they have not monitored the incident, or if they monitored it], failure to act on intelligence… No intelligence is still failure of intelligence,” he said.
But the senator said it would be very unfair if security forces are made accountable for failing to monitor information that was probably “below the radar.”
According to Dela Rosa, many MSU students have also decided to leave the university and go home.
He said police have deployed additional personnel to secure the MSU compound.
Zubiri also asked the government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to help authorities in catching the perpetrators.
CNN Philippines correspondent Eimor Santos contributed to this report.
