The Philippine Army (PA) on Tuesday believes it had identified one of the suicide bombers who set themselves off on Monday in Jolo, Sulu as the Indonesian widow of Norman Lasuca — the first Filipino extremist to also die by self-offering to the extremist cause.

The puzzle it is facing now is the identity of a second suicide bomber. And she could be a Filipina — yet possibly another first to offer herself in what religious extremists call as “sacred bombing” or mag-sabil in Moro parlance.

That possibility of the Daesh-inspired suicide bombings perpetrated by Filipinos is alarming and terrifying, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) sources said.

The AFP is asking President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in Sulu as a result of the last wave of violence in the region.

This was after the military disclosed an initial result of its investigation that pointed to Lasuca’s Indonesian widow as responsible for the second blast.

Lasuca had set himself off in Indanan town in June last year, killing six people.

PA Commanding General Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana earlier said that authorities had been chasing two female suicide bombers in the area prior to the attack, which saw at least 15 people dead and over 70 others injured.

Sobejana said the identity of the Indonesian “has been validated” but the Army is still determining the identity of the other suicide bomber, who could possibly be the Filipino wife of Abu Dalha (real name: Talha Jumsah), a subleader of an Abu Sayyaf unit.

He stressed that authorities need to conduct DNA tests on the body parts in the crime scene to determine which of the women took part in the first and second blasts.

“We cannot ascertain yet which of them is the wife of Lasuca,” Sobejana said.

“The situation dictates, calls for (martial law). With that recent incident, there were many casualties. To better control the population, I think it’s wise to declare it again,” he added.

He said that re-imposing military rule in Sulu would “bring back normalcy” and give security forces more authority to monitor and control moves of the public especially those with suspected affiliations with terror groups.

But Sobejana has yet to make the formal recommendation to President Duterte through the chain of command. He should submit his proposal through AFP Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay and then to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

If President Duterte heeds Sobejana’s recommendation, the duration of the enforcement of martial law would “depend on the situation on the ground.”

To recall, the military had been in pursuit of ASG bomb expert Mundi Sawadjaan and his female cohorts since last May.

In late June, four Army intelligence officers — Maj. Marvin Indammog, Capt. Irwin Managuelod, Sgt. Jaime Velasco and Cpl. Abdal Asula — were chasing leads when they were gunned down by police officers from the Jolo Municipal Police Station.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) initially tagged the incident as a “misencounter.” The police also linked the four soldiers to drug syndicates.

The Army chief also rued that the bloody bombings could have been prevented had the officers completed their mission.

“That was a wasted opportunity, and it resulted in this unfortunate incident. We have colleagues who died, even innocent civilians were also killed,” he added.

Listed by the US as a terrorist organization, Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of Islamic militants blamed for the Philippines’ worst terror attacks as well as kidnapping of foreign tourists and Christian missionaries. They also have ties to Islamic State militants seeking to set up a caliphate in Southeast Asia.

Meantime, Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., assured the public that the twin bombings will not deter the government from achieving its goal to bring peace to the area.

“These terrorists will attempt to sow discord, create confusion and break our spirit. They are terribly mistaken. These attacks will only serve to embolden us, strengthen our will, and bring us together as a people,” Galvez said in a statement.

Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, meanwhile, joined the nation in condemning the terrorist attack in Jolo, stressing that he and fellow Senator Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa share similar experiences to the horrors of terrorist acts in Mindanao.

“I echo the sentiments of Senator De la Rosa and I condemn in the strongest possible terms the terrorist bombings,” Go said. “It’s unfortunate that while the government is responding to the COVID-19 crisis, these terrorists chose this time to spread fear and violence.”

During his manifestation following De la Rosa’s privilege speech on the matter, Go narrated that Davao City had been attacked several times before — such as the 2003 bombings of the old Davao International Airport and Sasa Wharf, the 2005 explosion in Davao City Overland Transport Terminal, and the 2013 twin explosions in two big malls.

He also added the incident a few months into the Duterte Presidency when an explosion took place in a night market last September 2016. (*Daily Tribune)