Opposition senators on Wednesday urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) force to relieve the police force in Jolo, Sulu following the shooting incident that killed four soldiers last June and the twin explosions that killed at least 15 people this month.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros noted that the four soldiers were after two suicide bombers when they were killed by Jolo police forces that fateful night of June 29.

“I urge the PNP leadership: relieve the entire Jolo police force. To remove any doubts of possible infiltration of terrorists in the area and to calm the people’s minds and to give investigators the free hand,” Hontiveros said in a privilege speech.

Thus, she said, it is possible that the killing of the four military officials two months ago was related to the twin bombings that occurred last Monday, supposedly carried out by two female suicide bombers.

Hontiveros pointed out Armed Forces' Western Mindanao Command chief Major General Corleto Vinluan Jr.'s himself remarked during a recent hearing that blood ties could have caused nine police officers to collude with the two suicide bombers being tracked by the military.

“What led to this theories’ support is information I received that on June 29, the soldiers found out that the bombers knew they were being tailed by the AFP. The soldiers were able to narrow down the possible lodging places of the terrorists and were actually closing in on them,” Hontiveros said.

“The PNP leadership knew there was coordination. At the checkpoint, the Jolo Police knew that military personnel were on board the sports utility vehicle and that information also reached officials of the PNP. So if the police forces knew that those in the car were troops, why did they shoot them?” she pointed out.

Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon also backed Hontiveros call, as he recalled being the one who raised the concern about the killings of the four military men who were in pursuit of suicide bombers two months before the twin blasts.

“In this case, there is obviously treachery: the soldiers were unarmed; they were shot at the back. And when we asked Gen. Vinluan, he said there is no motive. We could not attribute any motive. Which raised doubts, really, in my mind or strengthened our suspicion there appears to be a collusion between the Jolo police force personnel and the terrorists,” Drilon said as he interpellated Hontiveros.

“So why is it that up to this point, the policemen (involved in the shooting) have not yet been preventively suspended? What’s the reason?” he lamented.

“This is unusual, given the magnitude of the case. The killings happened on June 29, two months ago. At this point, it (case) is still pending in the prosecution service of the Department of Justice (DOJ),” he pointed out.

As a former justice secretary, Drilon said he suspects that the prosecutor, instead of dismissing the case, is giving the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) an opportunity to build up the evidence against the police personnel involved.

“And indeed that is confirmed by the fact that two months after, hanggang ngayon, wala pang resolution. So I am really concerned here, as Army personnel being the victims here. I cannot imagine if there were civilians who would be victims in this dastardly act,” Drilon pointed out.

Hontiveros agreed saying it is “highly questionable” as to why the PNP has not yet preventively suspended the nine police officers involved in the shooting of the soldiers despite existing protocols.

She pointed out that preventive suspension is an explicit mechanism provided in both the Philippine National Police Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998 (RA 8551) and the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) manual.

“Since they are not yet suspended, does that mean that these officers -- who are accused of killing four soldiers and are now being investigated for possible ties to terrorists - still perform their functions or access intelligence material? This situation is deeply concerning, and it poses risks to our national security,” she said. 

“We need more decisiveness from the PNP. We need accountability and justice,” the senator stressed.

Renewed calls for martial law

During his interpellation, Drilon also said he finds it disconcerting why Philippine Army Chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana suddenly recommended that President Duterte declare martial law over the province of Sulu after the Jolo twin bombing incident.

“There is now recommendation that martial law be declared, yan po ang ating problema. The people I asked seem left with no choice but to consider seriously the plan for martial law because of the inadequacies that we see in the investigation of this case,” Drilon lamented.

“The most serious thing here is the alleged or what marks the collusion between the terrorists and the policemen. And Vinluan did not discount it,” he pointed out.