Cotabato cathedral, Jollibee outlet bombed; 4 wounded

COTABATO CITY – The police and military have placed the entire city under tight security and surveillance after suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels unleashed grenade attacks on a Catholic Church compound and a popular fastfood outlet Thursday night.

The attacks, which left four people wounded, came just two hours after grenades were fired at a public market in Kabacan town, North Cotabato, some 60 kilometers north of this city.

Cotabato City police director Superintendent Amerodin Hamdag said a man riding a motorcycle fired a 40-mm. grenade into the Immaculate Conception Cathedral compound that also houses the Church-run radio station dxMS shortly before 6 p.m.

The grenade blast slightly wounded three people walking out of the compound while a Mass was being held inside the church. Those hurt were identified as Mustapha Ibrahim, Gemma Panes and policeman Ariel Sanchez.

Hamdag said those inside the church were merely jolted by the explosion.

"The blast didn’t cause any panic since those inside thought it was just a loud firecracker," he said.

It was uncertain whether the assailant targeted the church or the radio station, which was hit by a homemade bomb in February. The radio station airs a nightly paid program called "Radio Kalimudan," which is highly critical of the MILF.

Less than 10 minutes after the incident, another 40-mm. grenade was launched and exploded on the roof of a Jollibee fastfood outlet, located just meters from the city’s main police precinct. The explosion caused pandemonium in the packed food joint and the nearby city plaza.

A teenager, identified as Mustafa Abdul Karim, was wounded in the blast and brought to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Reaction teams from the police and Philippine Marines quickly arrived at the site but failed to catch the perpetrators, who reportedly fled on motorcycles.

Datu Muslimin Sema, the incumbent mayor here and secretary general of the Moro National Liberation Front, condemned the attacks, branding them as a "blatant disregard" of the observance of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting.

"In the spirit of Ramadan and the Yuletide season of our Christian brethren, this dastardly act should not have been perpetrated. The people behind these atrocities have disregarded the essence of these two religious events," Sema said.

The military and police have set up road blocks and checkpoints to prevent the suspects from slipping out of the city.

Col. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., commander of the Army’s 602nd Brigade, said a 40-mm. grenade was also used in the Kabacan attack, which hit a grocery store and wounded two people.

Wounded were store owner Lacson Maong and his helper identified only as Ryan. – With Roel Pareño, Paolo Romero