Cotabato gov upbeat on solving bombings

COTABATO CITY — Authorities are confident they can still gather more clues on the exact identity of the real brains in the Oct. 10 bombing in Kidapawan City, whose alleged mastermind was set free by the military the other day due to lack of evidence linking him to the crime.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piñol, chairman of the Provincial Peace and Order Council, said the Army’s 602nd Brigade cannot prolong its custody of Musim Mamintal after two of the suspects tagged as the ones who planted the bomb at Kidapawan City’s public terminal balked from signing a written statement affirming their earlier verbal testimonies naming Mamintal as their mastermind.

"This a serious setback. Still, we will continue to gather more information that would lead us to the identity of the real mastermind in the bombing," Piñol told The Star.

Relatives and supporters of Mamintal, a former mayoral candidate in Pikit, North Cotabato, said they are confident that he will gradually be cleared of any involvement in the bombing, which left seven people dead and 14 others badly injured. — John Unson