Two suspected improvised explosive devices (IEDs) detonated in intervals, according to the public relations office for the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Initial reports say 17 people are dead and 56 wounded.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police are securing the area and all casualties were immediately evacuated, ARMM said.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo is a Latin Catholic missionary. The Mindanao region has been plagued with violence between Muslims and Christians for decades.
The explosion follows a Monday referendum asking the majority-Muslim population whether they back a plan by separatists and the government to create a new self-administered region. The majority of the 2.8 million people participating in the vote supported the referendum, but the town of Jolo rejected it.
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