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Wednesday, December 24, 2008
2 bombs found in Pagadian bus
ZAMBOANGA - Police foiled an apparent bombing attempt on a bus bound for Zamboanga City, finding an improvised bomb, before it went off, a military official said.
The bombs, made of two 60-millimeter mortar shells with timing devices placed in a carton, were found in Rural Transit commuter bus plying the Pagadian City-Zamboanga City and vice-versa route, said 1Lt. Steffanie Cacho, information officer of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom).
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Police personnel from Zamboanga del Sur Police Provincial Office (ZSPPO) spotted the package containing the bomb during a routine inspection of the bus before it left the terminal at around 1:30 p.m. in Barangay Bulatoc, Pagadian City.
"It [the bomb] was successfully disrupted around 2:45 p.m. by [the military's] explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) personnel," Cacho said.
No group or individuals have claimed responsibility on the failed bombing, she added.
Tuesday's bomb attempt was the third to be foiled by the government troops in southern Philippines, barely a week after a twin blast killed three people and hurt 53 more in Iligan City, Lanao de Norte.
Authorities earlier found an unexploded bomb last Friday in Iligan City, a day after the twin explosion ripped through two commercial centers in the city. The second unexploded bomb was found last Sunday. Both bombs, which failed to go off, were concealed in papaya fruits.
Cacho said investigation is underway to unmask the suspects who planted the bomb aboard the Rural Transit Bus owned by the Rural Transit Management Inc. (RTMI). The company operates a fleet of buses servicing several areas in the Mindanao.
Even with the discovery of unexploded bombs, the Army's Westmincom have lowered the alert level from "red" to "blue", said Cacho, "to show that we are on top of the situation."
Cacho said: "We will not allow the enemy to have a psychological impact over the whole of Westmincom."
Iligan City authorities believe that the group of rouge Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led by Abdulrahman Macapaar alias Commander Bravo was behind the twin bombings last week.
Police and military officials view the bombings as a diversionary tactic of Bravo and his men to ease the military pressure on them.
Cacho said the Westmincom believed that the recent bombings are isolated cases and that military efforts continue to ensure a peaceful celebration of the Yuletide season. (Bong Garcia/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (December 24, 2008 issue)
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