Monday, October 16, 2006 Iligan police urges cooperation, coordination with media By Lino dela Cruz Iligan Correspondent
ILIGAN CITY -- The local police is urging the public to be vigilant in the wake of the recent bombings in Central Mindanao and the circulation of text messages that there will be more bombings after the celebration of Ramadan.
The appeal came as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) pre-empted what could be a new explosion in Mindanao after its troops recovered and subsequently diffused a time bomb left in a public market in Pagadian City early Sunday morning.
The improvised explosive device was recovered by a member of the Civilian Armed Auxiliary (CAA) and intelligence agents several days after a series of bombings in Central Mindanao that left scores of people dead and injured.
Military officials, citing reports of the Army's 1st Infantry Division (ID), said the recovery of the bomb, composed of 60 mm and 40 mm mortars, was a product of the AFP's vigilance against possible terrorist attacks in Mindanao.
The AFP declared an "extreme critical" alert days before the last week's bombings in Tacurong and Cotabato cities and in Makilala town in North Cotabato upon receipt of information that the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) are set to carry out a wave of bomb attacks.
The intelligence report served as the basis of top officials to suspect that the JI and ASG "were indeed the perpetrators of the bombings to force the military to ease up on its ongoing offensive against ASG chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani and his two JI bomber-cohorts, Dulmatin and Omar Patek."
Meanwhile police officer-in-charge city director Virgilio Ranes said that the recent bombings in Central Mindanao, which killed and maimed several people, should make citizens here more vigilant versus terrorists.
"The public should be more concerned about their safety and be more vigilant" Sr. Supt. Ranes told media here.
Mastermind
Ranes has coordinated with the broadcast media for information campaign against terrorists.
Although authorities dismissed the text messages circulating here that there will be more bombings after the Ramadan, they reminded people to be more alert and careful.
Ranes said that the police is on high alert level status and had increased police visibility in crowded places.
The recent bombings in Central Mindanao was attributed to the Jemaah Islamiya (JI) bombers after the arrest and detention of Sovie, the wife of its leader Dulmatin, who is tagged as the mastermind in the 2002 bombing in Bali, Indonesia.
On the other hand, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), through its spokesman Eid Kabalu, had persistently denied that it is not harboring the JI militants who are reported training recruits in bomb making and terrorist activities.
As this developed military officials also believed that the bombings could have been perpetrated by the JI and ASG to avenge the arrest of Istiada Oemar Sovie, Dulmatin's wife. Oemar Sovie was nabbed by intelligence personnel a week before the bombings.
Perpetrators
Army spokesman Ernesto Torres said a militiaman, Marcelo dela Cruz, and a team from the Intelligence Service of the AFP (Isafp) discovered the bomb at gate 1 of the Agora Market in Pagadian City at 7:16 a.m. Sunday.
Bomb experts from the Philippine Army (PA) were later deployed to recover the bomb, which was subsequently diffused, said AFP Public Information Officer Bartolome Bacarro.
"The bomb had been defused. Its now with the (police)," said Bacarro, adding that the military, in coordination with their police counterparts, are continuously conducting investigation to identify the perpetrators and the motive.
Citing reports from the field, Bacarro said soldiers from the Army's 53rd Infantry Battalion (IB) were immediately sent to the market to provide security while the soldiers stepped up checkpoints near the vicinity.
"The discovery of said IED (improvised explosive device) was a result of the AFP's and (police)'s intensified security efforts in Mindanao," said Bacarro, adding it is too early to tell who or which group was behind the planned bombing.
Officials said the improvised bomb, placed in a back-pack bag, was set to explode at 11:20 a.m. Sunday as evidenced by a clock recovered with it. (With reports from Sunnex)
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