AFP chief Brawner: More security should have been in place in bomb-hit MSU

More security measures should have been implemented at Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, which was recently hit by a deadly explosion that killed four people and injured 45 others, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said on Tuesday.

"There should have been more security measures in place katulad nga 'yung pag-check ng mga bags. Dapat ginagawa po natin," Brawner said when asked if there was a failure of security in the incident during an interview on CNN Philippines.

[There should have been more security measures in place like the inspection of bags. We should be doing that.]

"Let's not really be complacent because anything can happen," he added. The perpetrators were able to bring the bomb inside the Dimaporo Gymnasium in MSU, Brawner said, because bags were not inspected.

The Armed Forces chief took notice that MSU has its own security personnel, while the military and police need permission before entering the campus.

For Brawner, there was no failure of intelligence on the part of the military because it had warned security forces, local government forces, and even civilians to be vigilant against such threats.

He said the military received intelligence information that there could be a possible retaliatory attack from the Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) extremist group, whose members were killed in a military operation last Friday in Maguindanao del Sur.

"I don't think so," he said when asked about the AFP's possible failure of intelligence.

Brawner said the military did not receive any threat with a specific target.

The MSU blast occurred at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday as a Catholic mass was being held at the gym attended by students and teachers.

Police said six of the 45 wounded were in stable condition at the hospital as of Monday. The 39 others who were hurt in the incident have already been discharged from the hospital.

The AFP said it is validating the claim of Islamic State that it was responsible for the bomb attack. It is also checking the possible involvement of Dawlah Islamiyah - Maute Group in the incident.

The Islamic State group, which operates in the country's south, said on Telegram that its members had detonated the bomb, according to a Reuters report.

According to Brawner, Dawlah Islamiyah also claimed the attack.

Police said more than two persons of interest in the attack have been identified. -- VDV, GMA Integrated News