CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - A powerful explosion Sunday at a Catholic mass inside the university stadium had killed at least four people and injured dozens more in the Muslim city of Marawi in the southern Philippine province of Lanao del Sur.
The blast occurred at the Mindanao State University where Christians, mostly students, attended mass. Conflicting reports said a grenade was tossed inside the gymnasium while others claimed an improvised explosive was planted in the area.
The attack drew condemnation from various Christian and Muslim groups as police mounted an investigation into the blast and determined what group or who was behind it and the motive. Muslim extremist groups such as the Dawlah Islamiya, the remnants of the Maute Group are actively operating in Marawi and were among the suspects in the attack.
Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr, condemned the attack. "Here in my province, we uphold basic human rights, and that includes the right to religion. Terroristic attacks on educational institutions must also be condemned because these are places that promote the culture of peace and mold our youth to be the future shapers of this country," he said.
The university also issued a statement condemning the blast. "We are deeply saddened and appalled by the act of violence that occurred during a religious gathering at the university gymnasium this morning, " it said. In 2017, the MSU, which commands a strategic view of Marawi from a hillock, was used by the military as a staging area to plan their defense of the besieged city.
"We are working closely with the local government units and law enforcement authorities to investigate this incident and bring the perpetrators to justice," it said. (Mindanao Examiner)
No comments:
Post a Comment