Vice-mayor, wife unhurt in grenade attack

THREE people were injured while a municipal vice-mayor and his wife were unhurt in a grenade attack in the province of Zamboanga del Sur, a top police official said Thursday.

Zamboanga del Sur police director Senior Superintendent William Manzan said the incident happened around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday in the village of San Pedro, Pagadian City, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur province.

Manzan identified those wounded as Police Officer 1 (PO1) Muhammad Magumpara, the security escort of Ukol Talumpa, the vice-mayor of Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur, Glenda Cayubyub and her three-year-old daughter, Giane Charm.

Manzan said Talumpa and his wife, Leah, escaped unscathed.

Manzan said that Talumpa and his wife escorted by Magumpara were aboard a Pajero vehicle coming out from the official’s residence when two men riding tandem on a motorcycle passed by and lobbed a grenade.

He said Cayubyub and her daughter, who were passing in front of Talumpa’s residence, were hit by grenade shrapnel.

The Pagadian City police are conducting thorough investigation to determine the motive as well as establish the suspects’ identities, he said. (Bong Garcia)