| 2 killed, 27 injured in blast across Cotabato cathedral |
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| by Malu Cadeliña-Manar with a report from Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews | |
| Sunday, 05 July 2009 12:07 | |
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KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/05 July) – Two persons died on-the-spot while eight others were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off beside a specialty food house fronting the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral in Cotabato City at around 8:40 a.m. Sunday, police said. Reports from the Cotabato City police said the explosion took place at a time people were leaving the Church after the second mass. The mass ended at around 8:45 a.m. But Fr. Jonathan Domingo, OMI district superior and executive publisher of the Mindanao Cross, told MindaNews the mass had not ended and that Arcbhishop Orlando Quevedo had just finished his homily when the homemade bomb exploded across the street from the cathedral.
Domingo also said two persons were killed and 27 others were injured.
The IED, according to reports, was planted beside a ‘lechon house’ owned by a certain Liza Barrios located in front of the Church. Barrios, although not hurt, was shocked. “This bomb was meant to kill and inflict harm,” said a churchgoer identified only as Joel.
Photographs taken by Mindanao Cross showed the bomb was placed at the Elsie Omega lechon house at the corner of Makakua and Quezon Avenue, the side fronting the Cathedral bearing the most damage while the side fronting the two-storey MacDonald's burger house had minor damage. Some of those wounded during the blast were rushed to the Cotabato City Medical Specialist Hospital located just few blocks away from the Church and the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center, also in Cotabato City. This was the second IED that went off in the Maguindanao-Cotabato area this weekend. An IED planted near the mayor’s house in Datu Piang, Maguindanao exploded at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The Cotabato City blast occurred five days after the intelligence chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division told told Mindanao and Manila-based participants to the State of the Bakwits joint coverage on June 30 at the Estosan Garden Hotel that the series of IED explosions in the last few weeks is “the handiwork of just one group which has links with the JI (Jemaah Islamiyah) and some of them are hiding in the LMG (“lawless MILF groups”) areas. (see other story) “We may expect more IED attacks in the coming days for as long as punitive operations against Umbra Kato continue,” said Col. Diosdado Carreon.
Since June, about 10 roadside bombings and bus blasts took have happened in the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat that killed a number of people and injured several others. The military has identified the “LMG and MILF” as behind the bombings while the Al Khobar, an extortion ring operating in Region 12, owned up the recent bus blasts in North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal told the journalists in a forum morning of July 1 that they “do not have the motive to do that (bomb Moro areas).” “ As for bombings in Christian areas, as a revolutionary organization, anong mapaapala namin? (what can we achieve by that?) Can we get sympathy from international community? From the people? Will those bombings contribute to the popularity and legitimacy of the MILF?” Iqbal asked. (Malu Cadelina-Manar with a report from Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews) Share this story through the following Social Media sites:            |
