Philippine Army says 6 wounded in bus bombing in South

COTABATO CITY – The 6^th Infantry Division said six passengers were wounded in the bombing of a provincial bus in the township of Parang in the restive province of Maguindanao in the Muslim autonomous region.

 

Photos released by the 6th Infantry Division show the aftermath of the bombing of a provincial bus on Sunday, April 25, 2022 in Maguindanao's Parang town in the Muslim autonomous region. 

Maj. Gen. Juvymax Uy identified the victims of the weekend attack as Fesel Culag, 40; John Paul Capio, 17; Expedito Ocay, 45; Benjamin Wahab, 32; Pastor Bularon, 53; and Elgen Palma, 30; the bus conductor. 

Uy condemned the bombing which occurred during the holy month of Ramadan. He described the attack as “an act of cowardice and unprovoked aggression targeting innocent civilians in the middle of the observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan.” 

The blast ripped through the rear of the bus, but Uy confirmed that another improvised explosive was discovered at the front and eventually disarmed by a bomb expert. The bus was heading to Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte province from Cotabato City in Maguindanao and made a stopped over at roadside eatery in Making village at around 7.30 a.m. when the bomb went off. 

“EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) personnel further successfully diffused a secondary IED which was placed on the opposite end of the bus. Likewise, authorities recovered different components of the exploded IED which are vital in the ongoing investigation to identify the perpetrators responsible for the attack,” Uy said Monday. 

Members of the EOD team also recovered pieces of debris from what was left of the bomb – a cell phone, blasting cap, a nine-volt battery, common wire nails and electronic circuit board.   

Uy ordered security forces to always be on alert and stay vigilant following the attack and urged civilians to help authorities identify the attackers. “I call on all residents of Central Mindanao to cooperate with the government in identifying those responsible for this attack in order for us to pre-empt and thwart similar attacks against our communities and forces,” he said without identifying any suspects in the attack. 

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the bombing, but several rebel groups are actively operating in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the autonomous region. The province is also a stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, whose leader Murad Ebrahim signed a peace deal with Manila in March 2014 and was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as regional governor. 

On January 11, at least six people, including an infant, were also wounded when an improvised explosive went off inside a bus, operated by the Mindanao Star, in the township of Aleosan in North Cotabato. The bus was travelling at the highway near the village of San Mateo when the bomb exploded. 

The 6^th Infantry Division blamed the attack on the pro-ISIS militant group called Dawlah Islamiya and killed four fighters, including their leader Norodin Hassan, during a raid on their hideout in Carmen town four days after the bombing. 

Last year, a bomb explosion also killed one civilian and wounded 7 others in a daring broad daylight attack in North Cotabato’s Tulunan town in January 27. The explosion occurred at a fruit stand in the village of Sibsib where a provincial bus was picking up passengers. The blast came a day after pro-ISIS militants detonated a roadside bomb in the town of South Upi in neighboring Maguindanao province and killed a civilian. The military blamed the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters for the bombing. (Mindanao Examiner)