Bomb explodes near mayor’s residence in North Cotabato

KORONADAL CITY – A powerful improvised explosive device (IED) exploded Friday evening near the house of M’lang town mayor in North Cotabato province while the government bomb demolition team was diffusing it, a police officials said yesterday.

No one was reported killed or injured during the explosion.

In a text message sent to The STAR by Central Mindanao police director Chief Superintendent Felizardo Serapio Jr., he said the bomb was found past 8 p.m. by residents living near the residence of M’lang Mayor Lito Piñol, the brother of North Cotabato Vice Gov. Manny Piñol.

Piñol is a fierce critic of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest Muslim separatist group operating in Southern Philippines waging war with the government for the establishment of an Islamic state in Mindanao.

Serapio said government bomb demolition team from police and military “disrupted” the bomb after a few minutes using a water disruptor. The police official could not yet say who planted the said bomb there.

The police and military are closely watching over North Cotabato to thwart more bombing attempts following explosions and discovery of several bombs in various parts of the province.

Reports said on Aug. 13, residents living near the transmission tower of National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) in Barangay Tacupan in Carmen town were rocked by a loud explosion.

Responding police and military elements reportedly recovered five bombs made of 60mm mortar shells planted at the foot of the tower there.

The next day, a bomb was recovered at the garbage collection area of Kidapawan City’s terminal. Aside from the recovered bomb, the police and Army troops discovered an unattended bag containing several kilos of TNT explosive, blasting caps, batteries and other bomb materials.

On Thursday, a bomb prematurely exploded, reportedly causing injury to the alleged bomber inside the public terminal of M’lang.

Prior to the bomb explosion that occurred near the house of Piñol, police and military foiled the attempt of the bombers to bomb an elementary school in the said town after they successfully diffused the explosive past 6 p.m.

North Cotabato was rocked by explosions and bomb attacks after 15 of its villages were cleared of the presence of the MILF rebels a few days ago.

Piñol tagged the MILF as behind the bomb attacks in his province but the said rebel groups repeatedly denied it had something to do with the bombing attempts in the province.

The MILF leadership instead blamed a “third party,” whose aim is to worsen the situation in Mindanao.