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Friday, November 23, 2007
1 dead, 8 injured in Kidapawan mall blast
By Ben O. Tesiorna and Malu Cadelina Manar
DAVAO CITY -- A mall employee was killed while eight others were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off past 5 p.m. Thursday at a baggage counter of KMCC mall in Kidapawan City.
The fatality was identified as Boyet Alfazar, 18, a resident of M'lang, North Cotabato, and employee of the KMCC Mall.
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Two other employees of the mall were injured in the blast. They were Randy Singson, 18, and Francisco Casia, 19.
Also wounded were 16-year-old Geralyn Luis, a student of the Magpet National High School, and couple Rodrigo and Anniever Cajindeg.
Meanwhile, there are three other persons injured in the explosion who were not yet identified as of this writing Thursday.
Baggage section
Casia, one of the wounded victims, said Alfazar was the one who received the baggage left by still unidentified male person at the baggage section. Alfazar died on the spot.
He said Alfazar was about to place the package in one of the stalls at the baggage counter when the IED inside it went off.
Casia, however, could not identify the person who left the package.
"We were cracking jokes then. We were so happy. We did not expect it to happen," said Casia in a radio interview.
The explosion occurred a day after members of the Task Force Cotabato conducted a bomb awareness seminar in Kidapawan City.
Senior Superintendent Lester Camba, police provincial director, said the seminar is part of the series of information drive they have to undertake to prepare residents when terror-related attacks, like bombing, happen.
High alert
North Cotabato Vice-Governor Emmanuel Piñol expressed surprise by this latest bombing in his province considering that they are on high alert due to the scheduled visit of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on November 29.
Piñol said he has no idea of who could be behind Thursday’s explosion. He however observed that an explosion usually occurs whenever the National Government is about to hold negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
"Every time there is scheduled talks an explosion occur to get the attention of the National Government," Piñol said.
The blast is the second to hit in Kidapawan City since October this year.
On October 5, a 10-year-old died and 39 others were wounded when two powerful bombs blasted off in two separate areas along the national highway.
Authorities have yet to find out the motive of the latest bombing.
A top KMCC staff told authorities they have not received any bomb threat since they started their operations in the city. The mall just started its operations early this year. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (November 23, 2007 issue)
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