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Friday, February 29, 2008
General Santos blast kills bomber
By Nelson C. Bagaforo
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- An explosion rocked the culminating activities of the week-long 13th Kalilangan Festival and this city's 69th Foundation Anniversary celebration Wednesday night, killing the carrier of the explosive device.
Police said six people were also injured in the explosion that tore the lower portion of the bomber, identified as Glenn Octaviano, 27, of Upper Aurora Street in nearby Koronadal City.
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The injured victims were identified as Mario Abasilan of Sapu Padidu, Malapatan in Sarangani, Arnel Tinaco and Noel Navarro of Barangay Mabuhay, Randy Cuevas of Labangal, Benjie Querin, and Melvin Saranillo.
Operatives of the General Santos City Police explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team and Scene of the Crime Operation (Soco) recovered from the mangled body of Octaviano a busted belt bag containing a shattered cellular phone.
The police theorized the bomb could be a grenade since it failed to shatter into pieces the body of the suspect.
But the explosion, which happened at the back of City Hall, escaped the notice of thousands of merrymakers gathered at the Oval Plaza due to the boisterous sound from giant loudspeakers set up near the plaza's stage.
A band was performing on stage when the explosion happened.
"I never heard an explosion. The (concert) sound was so loud," said Ramir Lebaquin, who was at the plaza to watch a band concert.
"I heard a bang, but I thought it was just a firecracker," Lebaquin's companion Lourdes Maniki said.
Hours before the explosion, merrymakers witnessed a spectacular 40-minute fireworks display also at the oval plaza.
Police said Octaviano was the suspected carrier of the explosive device that prematurely went off around 10:45 p.m., before he managed to penetrate the huge crowd at the plaza.
"Fortunately, he did not get past our security points otherwise many could have been killed," Senior Superintendent Robert Po, city police director, told reporters two hours after the blast.
Based on initial investigation, Po said the suspected bomb carrier could be a vendor who was supposedly asked to bring in the explosive inside a bag to the massive crowd, but failed to get in because of the strict security.
However, initial post blast investigation revealed that the improvised explosive device "was not designed to inflict maximum damage," Po said.
Chief Superintendent Felizardo Serapio, Central Mindanao police director, told reporters it is possible "(the incident) could be a case of accidental grenade explosion."
Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. rushed to the scene more than an hour after the explosion and told reporters the fatality could have been the bomb carrier.
"Because of the strict security measures our law enforcers implemented, he was not able to enter the crowd. Luckily, the (apparently) timed explosive device exploded while he was still in a not well-crowded place," the mayor told reporters.
Po said the local police have not received a bomb attack threat from any groups in the days leading to the culmination of activities.
Nobody also claimed responsibility for the explosion that could have killed many had it occurred at a crowded place.
Retired Senior Inspector Jose Jugarap Jr., chief of the Civil Security Unit (CSU), said he ordered his men to frisk all individuals entering the Oval Plaza.
CSU personnel were manning the entrance and exit points on Matalam Avenue, some 50 meters away from the blast site.
Jugarap said one of his men noticed Octaviano walking back and forth from City Hall to the entrance point of Oval Plaza particularly near the City Assessor's Office and Registry of Deeds.
"I alerted my men and as a result, the suspected bomber failed to slip past our security cordon," Jugarap said.
Wednesday night's explosion was the second to hit this city, touted as the "Tuna Capital of the Philippines," in less than a month.
Last January 30, a powerful blast outside the compound of the Philbest Canning Corp. killed four people and injured 27 others.
Authorities believed the attack on Philbest was not an "act of terrorism" since the tuna firm is located far from the heart of the city.
The extortion group Al Khobar Gang claimed responsibility for the bomb attack and cited the alleged refusal of the management to pay protection money to the group as the reason for the blast, Mayor Rodolfo Gantuangco of Kidapawan City said.
He also said a supposed member of Al Khobar called him up, using the same cellular phone number that was used to contact him after Kidapawan was also bombed last year. (With Aquiles Zonio/BSS/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (February 29, 2008 issue)
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