Bomb lobbed at house of municipal exec in NCotabato

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines  --- Unidentified bombers blasted  a grenade at the home yard of a municipal agriculturist Sunday night, less than 24 hours after suspected arsonist set off an improvised explosive near a commercial establishment in separate attacks in the province that sparked panic among local communities.

No one was hurt in the bombing of the house of Federico Porras, chief of the municipal agricultural office of the local government of Mlang, a booming town in the second district of North Cotabato, but the incident forced his family and neighbors to leave and return only after responding policemen declared the area cleared of any unexploded ordnance.

Senior Inspector Rolando Dillera, chief of the Mlang municipal police, said two men riding a motorcycle together pulled over at the frontyard of the Porras family's house and tossed grenades the over the fence and sped away.

Dillera said investigators have yet to determine the possible motive for the grenade attack and the identities of the bombers.

The grenade incident in Mlang came after a powerful explosion ripped through a commercial district in Kabacan town in the first district of the province on Saturday night.

Supt. Leo Ajero, Kabacan municipal police chief, said no one was reported killed or injured in the explosion, but the incident triggered panic in the surroundings of the adjoining Sugni Superstore and Laira Marketing along a busy stretch of the North Cotabato-Davao Highway.

The IED was planted between the two commercial establishments and detonated using a battery operated blasting device operated from a distance, according to investigators.

The blast shattered the glass panes of the Laira Marketing building.

The bombing Saturday night in Kabacan was the town’s 10th January.

The bombings in the area escalated during the campaign period, where local folks witnessed grenade attacks on polling sites before opening of voting precincts on May 13 and at houses of candidates for local elective positions.