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Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Mayor to visit Cotabato, Koronadal
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo was tasked by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to look into the bombings in Koronadal and Cotabato cities last Saturday.
In a telephone interview Monday, Duterte said he was ordered by the president to assess the situation in the cities.
Duterte, who was in Manila Monday for a commitment, said he will readily fly to Koronadal upon his arrival here in Davao City Monday.
He said he is still waiting for the official report from the Philippine National Police as of Monday.
Police blamed the Abu Sayyaf group for the bombings. The first blast occurred around 11 a.m. inside the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) compound in Cotabato City. Four hours later, another bomb exploded near the entrance Koronadal public market.
No one was killed but four persons were injured in the bomb attacks.
Chief Superintendent Danilo Mangila, police chief for Central Mindanao, said the Abu Sayyaf staged the attacks to ease the military pressure on its members in Maguindanao province.
"The Abu Sayyaf perpetrated the attack as part of its plan to divert military attention. We have two suspects and it's a matter of days before we could catch up with them," Mangila said.
Major General Agustin Dema-ala, chief of the Army's 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao said government soldiers have cordoned off the area where Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani and his followers were hiding. The military has been pursuing
Janjalani's group in the past weeks.
Dema-ala also said Saturday's bomb attacks were the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf.
"It's already a pattern. Every time we have an offensive operation against them, there are explosions," Dema-ala said.
Dema-ala said Monday authorities have already released cartographic sketches of the two suspects.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (August 2, 2005 issue)
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