MANILA (AFP) – At least seven people were killed as two bombs hit a church on a southern Philippine island that is a stronghold of Islamist militants, the military said on Sunday (Jan 27), just days after a regional vote for a new Muslim autonomous region.

The first blast occurred inside the Catholic church on war-torn Jolo on Sunday morning as mass was being celebrated, followed by a second explosion as troops responded, regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana told AFP.

Five soldiers and two civilians were killed while 35 others were wounded, he added.

“The motive is surely… terrorism. These are people who do not want peace. It is sad that this happened right after the Bangsamoro law was ratified,” Lt Col Besana said.

Jolo lies in the proposed Bangsamoro Muslim-majority autonomous region, which local voters overwhelmingly approved last week.

The island is also a base of the Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf, which is blamed for the worst terror attacks in the nation’s history.

Last week voters decisively approved a more powerful autonomous region in the Philippines’ south, which is hoped will bring peace and development after decades of fighting that have killed thousands and mired the area in poverty.

Sulu province – which includes Jolo – voted against the creation of the new region, with its governor questioning the law establishing the area before the Supreme Court.

Despite Sulu’s vote, legislation provides that the province will still be included in the new political entity as voters from across the current autonomous region voted in favour of it on the whole.

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