Police still clueless on Cotabato City bombers

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Police were still clueless on the identities of the two men who left a motorcycle rigged with an improvised explosive used in Tuesday’s bombing here that killed a photographer and wounded nine others.

Senior Superintendent Roberto Badian, city police chief, said investigators were still trying to look for the fragments of the motorcycle bearing its engine and chassis number for possible evaluation by the Land Transportation Office.

Badian said investigators were also still interviewing witnesses and bystanders who were near the gun store where the improvised explosive went off.

Sources in the Army intelligence community said they have been receiving information that the bombing could have been perpetrated by a big extortion ring trying to scare local businessmen to force them to shell out “protection money” on a regular basis.

Cotabato City Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema appealed to the local business community to tighten security around their establishments and immediately report to police any presence of suspected improvised bombs or unidentified men stalking around.

“It’s only by being vigilant and cooperative with the local police and the military that we can prevent these bombings in our city,” Sema said.

Members of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 7 and police have sealed off the city’s main entry and exit points following Tuesday’s blast.