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Friday, August 15, 2008
Bomb attack in Kidapawan foiled
By Ben O. Tesiorna and Malu Cadelina Manar
DAVAO CITY -- A powerful bomb placed inside a bag and reportedly strong enough to destroy an entire building was discovered inside an old public terminal in Kidapawan City at 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
The Eastern Mindanao Command said the bomb was discovered by a soldier manning the old terminal on Perez Street, a few meters away from an ukay-ukay center that is one of the most crowded places in the city's mega market.
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Authorities cordoned off the area and explosive ordnance division personnel as well as bomb-sniffing dogs were sent to check on the bag.
"The explosive was so powerful that if not detected, it could have caused loss of lives and properties," said Inspector Benjamin Mauricio, deputy chief for operations of the Kidapawan City police.
The explosive was placed underneath a bench at a waiting shed of the old public terminal.
Initial investigation showed that the bag contained two kilos of explosive filler TNT, booster 60mm mortar, electrical blasting cap, 1.9 volts battery, a mobile phone, one kilo of concrete nails, and a square plain sheet with shape charge.
Regional military spokesman Armand Rico said the bomb might have been planted by Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels as their way of retaliating to a recent government offensive.
Rico said the military believes the bomb was "part of the retaliation effort" of MILF guerrillas after they withdrew Tuesday from 15 predominantly Christian villages in the province following a three-day military offensive.
MILF denial
But rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu denied the accusation, saying: "We do not do such things. It may be them who are involved. How can such a bomb pass through so much security?"
"We have nothing to do with that," he added.
Kidapawan City has been targeted by suspected Moro rebels and extortionists in the past. In November, a bomb ripped through a shopping mall, killing one and wounding six people.
Police said they found another bomb hanging from an electrical transmission tower in the town of Carmen, also in North Cotabato. There were no suspects, but authorities have accused the rebels of blowing up power pylons before.
Condemnation
North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol readily condemned the "terrorist plot" and blamed the MILF for it.
"With its sinister plan to partition the country thru the MOA-AD (memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain, the MILF is back to its old tactic of terrorizing people to force government to yield to its demands. We will not be coerced. I call on the people of North Cotabato to be vigilant and be brave. We will prevail. God is with us," Piñol said.
Tensions in the southern Philippines - the traditional homeland of minority Muslims - peaked this week after government troops retook the farming villages from about 1,000 guerrillas who occupied the area last month.
Two soldiers and 31 rebels were killed, and about 80,000 civilians had left their homes but have started returning, according to the military.
The conflict came at a crucial juncture in peace negotiations between the government and the rebels, who have been waging a decades-long rebellion for self-rule in this predominantly Roman Catholic nation's south.
The two sides, which signed a 2003 ceasefire, had reached agreement on the size of a future expanded Muslim homeland.
But the signing of the accord was halted last week by the Supreme Court, which acted on a petition filed by southern Christian politicians wary of losing land and power to Muslims.
The court was scheduled to hear arguments on Friday, but it was not clear when it would rule on the petition. (With AP/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (August 15, 2008 issue)
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