MANILA, Philippines - A powerful explosion rocked near the site of the Maguindanao massacre as relatives of 58 victims commemorate the gruesome murders today.
Superintendent Marcelo Pintac, Maguindanao provincial police director, said the blast took place before 6 a.m. along the highway in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town, about five kilometers away from the site where 58 civilians and journalists were brutally killed by more than 100 armed men allegedly led by former Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr.
Pintac said that no one was hurt in the incident, but he believes that the blast was meant to sow fear in time for the 2nd year commemoration of the Maguindanao massacre that took place on Nov. 23, 2009.
He said that the bomb was placed inside a bag left by a still unidentified suspect a meter away from the concrete highway.
Col. Dong Yabu, commander of the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade, said that two more homemade bombs were disrupted by a military' ordnance team and seven more bombs were found in a corn field near the site of the gruesome massacre.
Pintac, meanwhile, assured that today's commemoration of the massacre will be concluded peacefully.
He said that policemen and soldiers under the Army's 6th Infantry Division have been deployed along the Masalay highway and other parts of the province.
“No need to worry. Nagkalat na sa area ang mga pulis, mga sundalo, at iba pang mga law enforcers ng Maguindanao,” said Pintac.
Members of the Mangudadatu clan led by Maguindanao Gov. Esmael "Toto" Mangudadatu will return to the site of the massacre. The clan's members, including Mangudadatu's wife and sisters, are among the 58 people killed at the site.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and his staff were also expected to visit the site today.
On Tuesday, running priest Robert Reyes held Mass with the relatives at the multi-purpose hall at the site. They offered flowers and lighted candles on the markers of the massacre victims.
“Even in faltering steps, the march of the relatives of friends of the massacre victims continues. Some [of the suspects] are already arrested and detained. The wheels of justice may turn slowly but the march has begun and will not stop,” said Reyes during the mass.
Officials and members of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and Justice Now Movement (JNM) said they won’t stop "crying out" for justice for the massacre victims and their families.