Thursday, March 30, 2006
Bus blast injures 22 in Digos
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- Twenty-one passengers and an ambulant vendor were injured when a bomb exploded inside a Weena Bus in Digos City, Wednesday, and police said they suspect that extortionists were behind the blast.
The bus, with 21 passengers on board, had just arrived in Digos, 900 kilometers southeast of Manila, when the blast rocked the back portion of the vehicle, said bus conductor Mike Bangcot.
Police Chief Inspector Casar Cabuhat said 22 people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, mostly from glass splinters. The victims included bus passengers and food vendors, he said.
The owner of the bus, the Weena bus company, has been the victim of extortion attempts by criminal gangs in the past.
"It looks like extortion because of the history of Weena," National Police Chief Arturo Lomibao said.
Police were able to identify seven of the 22 victims. They are Carlo Allen Piedad, 12, and Jerry Piedad, 50, both from Midsayap, North Cotabato; Juvey Lakay, 24, from Digos City; Nolgaya Sumait, Hassan Bangsawata and Lando Akman, all from Davao City; and Matiniana Latasa, a vendor at the Digos City Terminal.
Cabuhat said the investigation was still ongoing and he could not yet tell what type of explosive was used.
Davao del Sur Provincial Director Binang Hadjiril said the Weena bus was about to enter the terminal at around 11:45 a.m. when an explosion occurred at the rear portion of the bus.
But witnesses claim the explosion occurred when the bus had already parked inside the terminal and most passengers have already alighted to take lunch or go to the restroom.
The bus driver, Arnold Bingil, was not injured as he was at that time already outside the bus, checking its tires.
One of the passengers, identified as Staff Sergeant Morito Magno, said he saw a male passenger alight from the bus just before the blast.
He described the male passenger to be around 5'6" in height and was wearing a striped shirt and a pair of maong pants.
A team from the explosive ordnance division is still scouring the area for pieces of evidence and shrapnel.
Davao del Sur Representative Douglas Ra. Cagas condemned the bombing and said this was the first time that the province fell prey to such atrocity.
Weena Buses, which travels to Central Mindanao destinations, have often been the target of bombers.
In the past, the management of the bus line had claimed that rebels and criminal gangs have been forcing them to pay up and every time they refuse, one of their units would be bombed.
But it was not immediately clear if Wednesday's attack was linked to extortion. Cabuhat said he was not aware of any extortion letter received by the company.
The explosion was the second attack against the bus company for this month alone.
On March 10, a Weena bus in Cotabato City was also the target of a bomb explosion. No one was hurt in the explosion.
Digos City Mayor Arsenio Latasa ordered the tightening of security in the city.
The Weena line is the sole bus company serving Cotabato City. (With Peng Aliño/AP)
(March 30, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
Gripes pour vs. local gov't department's ‘meddling’