A Timeline of the Mindanao State University Bombing in Marawi City
Four people were killed and about 50 were injured after a bomb went off during a morning Catholic Mass at the Mindanao State University gymnasium on Sunday, December 3, 2023.
The Philippine government condemned the explosion. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists,” President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said in a statement. “Extremists who wield violence against the innocent will always be regarded as enemies to our society.”
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, on the other hand, says that there were “strong indications of a foreign element” and that further details are held to ensure the integrity of the investigation. Police explain that there is a possibility that the bombing is linked to pro-ISIL (ISIS) fighters.
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A Timeline of the Marawi Siege, Rehabilitation, Subsequent Threats, and Possible Retaliation
In May 2017, the Islamic State-tied Dawlah Islamiya-Maute group seized Marawi City to turn it into a Southeast Asian “wilayat" or a governorate for the state. Joining the Maute Group were Abu Sayyaf Salafi jihadist groups. What followed was a five-month war between Islamist fighters and Philippine armed forces. There were said to be more than a thousand casualties during the battle. Father Teresito Soganub and at least four others were also taken hostage by the rebels.
The siege of Marawi, as it would be known, would lead to the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. General Eduardo Año, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), was designated as martial law administrator.
By June, a P20-million combined bounty for Isnilon Hapilon and the Maute brothers Abdullah and Omar would be announced. The Maute brothers’ father, Cayamora, would also be arrested in Davao City. Former Marawi City Mayor Fajad Salic was arrested in Misamis Oriental for rebellion charges, as well.
The Philippines benefited from the aid of countries like Australia, the United States, and China, in the form of planes, weaponry, and financial assistance. Task Force Bangon Marawi would be formed.
By July, the death toll for Philippine forces had reached 100. Congress granted Duterte’s plea to extend martial law in Mindanao until December 31, 2017. Mapandi Bridge or Baloi Bridge had been retaken, as well. Mindanao State University was reopened, but was heavily guarded. Abdullah Maute was reportedly killed in an air strike, too.
In the next month, then-Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that the foreign assistance to the Marawi Conflict breached P2 billion. Father Chito Soganub was rescued from his kidnappers, and the AFP claimed that the battlefield was down to about 10 hectares. Around 50 hostages remained.
By October, Philippine soldiers had rescued 34 hostages. Isnilon Hapilon and Omar Maute were said to have been killed, too. On the 17th, Duterte announced that Marawi had been liberated. Roughly 163 soldiers and police forces, as well as 847 terrorists had been killed. Combat operations ended on October 23 and rehabilitation followed soon after.
In 2019, Duterte lifted Martial Law in Mindanao, but a State of Emergency persisted.
By July 2023, the State of National Emergency in Mindanao was lifted.
On December 3, 2023, a bomb detonated at the Mindanao State University. There were four casualties and at least 50 injured in the aftermath of the ordeal. Fragments of a 16-mm mortar were found in the scene. The gymnasium would be intact, albeit with a few burn marks. Offices in Mindanao and the capital region were immediately placed on high alert.
Before the recent blast, military operations were held against local pro-Islamic State groups, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said. There were 11 suspected Islamic militants killed in a military offensive in Southern Maguindanao. A leader of the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute group was reportedly killed during the encounters.
“It is possible that what happened this morning was a retaliatory attack,” Armed Forces Chief Romeo Brawner said in a public statement following the incident.
Mindanao State University said that it is “deeply saddened and appalled by the act of violence that occurred during a religious gathering... We unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms this senseless and horrific act.” Classes are suspended until further notice.
