Midsayap bombing suspect falls

COTABATO CITY , Philippines  – One of the three alleged masterminds of the May 6, 2006 bombing of a transport terminal in Midsayap, North Cotabato that caused serious injuries to eight people, three of them children of pre-school age, was arrested in Kidapawan City the other day.

The suspect, Emmanuel Ibarra Jr., alias Jun Guevarra, peacefully gave himself up as Kidapawan lawmen led by Superintendent Chino Mamburam, city police chief, had surrounded his hideout in Perez district, a secluded area near the foot of Mt. Apo.

Mamburam said Ibarra has confessed to his being a ranking member of the Al-Khobar extortion ring, which has owned up to the bombings of buses and commercial establishments in Central Mindanao.   – John Unson, Cecille Suerte Felipe