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Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Bus terminal bombing injures 6
By Malu C. Manar and Ben O. Tesiorna
COTABATO CITY -- Six persons were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted near the gate of a bus terminal along Jose Lim St. exploded Monday night.
The victims were identified as Joseph Ere, driver of the bus; retired Army Master Sergeant Leopoldo Cabañog, one of the security guard of the Peoples' Transport; bus conductor Karim Lawan; bus driver Nestor Bayog; tricycle driver Esmael Makakena, 35; and Mama Kadalum, 39.
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Four of the victims are employees of Peoples' Transport, and most of them sustained leg injuries.
The improvised bomb exploded just as a bus from Davao City was about to enter the terminal around 7:15 p.m.
Authorities said the bomb was made of TNT and a cellular phone was the triggering device. It was placed inside a container.
Based on recovered pieces of evidence, investigators said the materials were similar to the bomb used in the April 26 bombing of the Weena bus in Midsayap, North Cotabato.
Extortion
According to Bernardo "Digoy" Valdeviezo, owner of Peoples' Transport, a male person claiming to be a member of the Hezbollah Group called and told him that a bomb will explode near the terminal gate minutes before the actual explosion.
The caller demanded P1 million as protection money, Valdeviezo said.
But police investigators are not discounting the possibility that intense business rivalry could be behind the explosion.
Valdeviezo said his caller also warned him that more bombings would take place on his buses if Peoples' Transport continues to ply the Cotabato-Davao route or if its buses would proceed to Cotabato City.
The caller said government officials in Cotabato City and other local government units (LGUs) in North Cotabato and Shariff Kabungsuwan provinces "must take a cue from the message."
Stern warning
The bombings, according to the caller, will serve as "stern warning," Valdeviezo added.
L300 vans compete with Peoples' Transport buses for the Cotabato-Davao route. Passengers, however, prefer to ride on the buses because of convenience, wide space, and lower fare rates. But the threat of bombings has made some prefer to ride vans instead.
Since January this year, the bus management could no longer count how many times its buses were bombed. When it decided to cut short its trips last month, the bombings stopped.
It, however, resumed plying the Cotabato-Davao route last May 1 based on numerous requests from passengers and local government units (LGUs) in the provinces of North Cotabato and Shariff Kabungsuwan.
Since May 1, the Peoples' Transport has been bombed thrice, damaging a number of its buses.
The explosion came a day after an explosive fashioned out from a rifle grenade with mechanical timing mechanism was found in front of the Midsayap town hall.
Alert village guards and members of the Bantay-Bayan discovered the bomb placed near the entrance of Midsayap town hall, according to Superintendent Chino Mamburam, town police chief.
On May 8, a powerful bomb left by a van passenger went off at the Midsayap terminal, leaving five persons injured. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (May 21, 2008 issue)
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