At least two persons were hurt in the grenade attack, the first to happen against a church in Bukidnon.
Paraiso, ordained priest on Oct. 20, 2009, said he believes he was the target of the attack.
The Police Regional Office 10 (PRO 10) has ordered all field unit commanders and to conduct extensive region-wide hunt for the culprits of the grenade attack.
Chief Supt. Conrado E. Laza, regional police director also ordered a thorough investigation to determine the motive of the incident.
“Our intelligence men are already on the ground assisting our police investigating team in Bukidnon Provincial Police Office (PPO) and Kalilangan Municipal Police Station,” said Laza.
Meanwhile, Fr. Jonathan Tianero, director of the church-run radio station dxDB said that priests in the Diocese of Malaybalay have refused to be cowed by the incident.
“Kami nga mga pari (we the priests), whenever we die in the service of the Lord, we become martyrs, It cleanses all our sins, like a pregnant woman who dies for her child,” said Tianero.
He added that whoever threw the hand grenades “didn’t realize that he was giving the priest celebrating the mass a favor – to become a martyr.”
He said the mere fact that the bomb did not cause serious damage to life and property proved that “you cannot make evil before the Lord. Walay molabaw sa power sa Lord” (No power is greater than the Lord’s), the priest said.
Although the attack on the Kalilangan church was the first direct assault on a place of worship in Bukidnon, two priests have been killed in the province.
In 1983, Jesuit priest Fr. Jose Alingal was shot dead in his convent in Kibawe town by unidentified assailants. He was a vocal critic of military abuses during the martial law era.[]
On October 14, 1991, Fr. Nerilito Satur was killed for his advocacy against logging in Valencia.[]
