Ampatuan unhurt in roadside blasts

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Former Maguindanao governor Datu Andal Ampatuan survived three roadside bombings while he was on his way to his farm in Shariff Aguak town yesterday, but one of his workers was killed and three others were wounded.

Ampatuan is the father of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Datu Zaldy, a staunch political ally of President Arroyo.

Tony Bangkuran, who worked in Ampatuan’s farm in Bagong district in Shariff Aguak, died on the spot from shrapnel wounds.

Three other workers sustained injuries and were rushed to the provincial hospital.

Engineer Norie Unas, Maguindanao’s provincial administrator, said Ampatuan was en route to his farm from his residence at the town proper on board his Toyota Land Cruiser, trailed by at least four pick-up trucks carrying farm workers, when three improvised bombs went off seconds of each other along the highway.

Unas said the truck carrying Bangkuran and his wounded co-workers was the one nearest to the blast sites.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the bombs were fashioned from live 81-mm mortar projectiles rigged with remote controlled blasting mechanisms, the same type used by foreign-trained bomb experts of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Yesterday’s roadside bombings were not the first slay attempt by MILF rebels on Ampatuan.

Three of the former governor’s companions were killed while seven others were wounded when a bomb-laden multi-cab exploded along the highway while he was also headed to his farm in Bagong district.

Ampatuan’s son, Datu Saudi, and 18 others were killed in an explosion on Dec. 23, 2003 in Datu Piang town where Datu Saudi was then the mayor.

The other day, Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan also survived a roadside bombing. – With Jaime Laude