TWO separate bombings occurred on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in Soccsksargen.
The first happened in General Santos City at 11:55 a.m. and wounded seven persons. The second occurred at 7:15 p.m. near the municipal police station in Midsayap, North Cotabato. No casualties were reported.
To date, no group or individual has been identified or took responsibility for the bombing in General Santos City. Meanwhile, according to authorities the bombing in Midsayap was perpetrated by Abu Torayfie Group.
In less than a month, Mindanao experienced four separate bombings. The other two happened separately on August 28 and September 1 in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.
This is quite alarming especially since Mindanao is still recovering from the Marawi Siege in 2017.
With the boldness of some groups in attacking the urban centers of some provinces in Mindanao, we can expect that they may soon go for the other bigger cities in the island.
The recent bombings even raise a number of questions like if the authorities missed this out in their intelligence gathering or if the security forces have become complacent.
With the recent happenings in nearby provinces, we hope that the security forces in Davao City have stepped up their monitoring and security measures to ensure the safety of Dabawenyos.
General Santos City, Midsayap, and Insulan may be in Soccsksargen but they are not very far from Davao City. If they can do it in those areas, what is stopping them from doing it here in Davao City?
The public must also be more vigilant of its surroundings. Though we live in what is considered as one of the safest cities in the country, that is no excuse to not be vigilant.
If you see something or someone that is suspicious, better report it immediately to the authorities.
Stay safe, Davao!