10 hurt in another blast in North Cotabato

By Ronron
June 8, 2007

As predicted by the United States government, another blast rocked the province of North Cotabato in Mindanao on Friday, wounding 10 persons, police said.

The explosion, caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), happened inside a bus at the public bus terminal of Matalam town at around 12:35 pm yesterday.

The incident happened less than a month since a bus terminal in Cotabato City was also blown up last May 18, killing a seven-year-old boy and wounding more than 30 others.

In a travel advisory issued June 1, 2007, the US Embassy in Manila warned its citizens about imminent terrorist attacks in North Cotabato in the following days.

Matalam Police Chief, Inspector Elias Colonia said the People’s Transit Corporation (PTC) bus (body number 1017) was about to leave the town’s public terminal when a cellular phone exploded at the upper luggage carrier on its left-rear portion.

The bus, driven by a certain Moises Relacion, 46, was then heading for Davao City, with 30 passengers on it and a crew/conductor, identified as Jeffrey Guillen, 26. It came from Cotabato City.

Suspecting that a bigger blast could follow, Colonia, who was at the site conducting regular security checks, immediately ordered the passengers to alight.

“When I found out that it was not the tire that exploded and I smelled powder, I suspected that there was going to be a follow-on explosion. True enough, a bigger blast happened around four minutes later,” Colonia told Manila Shimbun in Filipino by phone.

Colonia said the second blast came from the same portion of the bus where the first cellular phone explosion happened. The IED was reportedly placed inside a bag and was believed to have been left behind by the unidentified suspect.

He said the rear of the bus incurred heavy damages, while the windshield in front was totally blown away.

Wounded were bystanders Roy Firma, 28; Therese Balcita, 37; Gilbert Tejero, 21; Raul Sahulga, 30; Jocelyn Bernalte; Alover dela Peña, 21; Catherine Tillado, 27; Jeffery Alcade, 21; Melbert Helbolingo; and Ricardo Dordas, police said.

Firma and Balcita were brought to Babol General Hospital of said municipality; Tejero, Sahulga and Bernalte were taken to Estillore Medical Clinic and Hospital, also of Matalam; while Dela Peña, Tillado, Alcade, Helbolingo, and Dordas were brought to Amas Provincial Hospital in Kidapawan City for medical treatment.

But as of 4pm, only one victim remains at the hospital as the others only sustained minor injuries caused by shrapnel and broken glasses.

Colonia said bomb experts recovered from the blast site parts of mortar shells of unknown type.

Asked about the motive of the incident, Colonia said: “We are still determining if this is related to extortion or terrorism attack.”

But Colonia noted that the PTC is an affiliate unit of the Weena Bus which was the subject of an attack last May 18 in Cotabato City allegedly after refusing to give in to an extortion attempt.

Colonia admitted that the blast happened even if the local police is in full alert status./DMS