The son of a Moro National Liberation Front leader has been arrested and detained in Malaysia for his alleged involvement in the Davao City night market bombing last September 2.
President Duterte said the culprits of the bombing “have been all accounted for,” including the son of former Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema.
“Kayong nagputok diyan sa Maute, they have all been accounted for. Nahuli ko na lahat iyan. Iyong isa diyan anak ni Sema, mayor ng Cotabato. He is now detained diyan sa Malaysia,” Duerte said in a forum with the business community in Davao City.
News reports earlier circulated that Datu Mohamad Abduljabbar Sema has been detained in Malaysia since he was arrested last November in connection with the Davao bombing.
The Maute Group has been implicated for the powerful bombing at the Davao City night market last September that left several persons dead. The President declared a state of national emergency on the basis of lawless violence shortly after the Davao blast.
The President attributed the swift apprehension of the bombing suspects to the country’s close maritime security cooperation with Malaysia and Indonesia.
“We have a good working relation with Mahathir and Widodo,” he said, referring to Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak when he cited former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.
Part of the security arrangement, Duterte is allowing Malaysian and Indonesia naval forces to chase and arrest criminals who escape to the country’s territorial waters. “If we do not have any available sea assets there around, you can go ahead and blast them off,” Duterte said.
Duterte also said he has authorized the Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard to launch attacks on kidnappers trying to escape. “Pasabugin mo na silang lahat. Sabi nila, ‘hostage po.’ Sorry, collateral damage,” he said.
“Now, if they are blasted everyday, that would stop or at least places us in a very – and into a parity. Hindi ka lalamang sa kalokohan mo, talagang pasabugin kita. Kaya huwag kayong magpa-kidnap sa totoo lang,” he added.
(Genalyn D. Kabiling)