An explosion inside a commercial van whose passengers had earlier disembarked injured slightly the driver’s assistant but OIC Mayor Paolo Duterte repeatedly said “relax lang mo, naa man atong kapulisan (the police are here), they are doing their jobs.”
A member of the Davao City police explosive and ordnance unit inspects a van that was shattered by an improvised explosive device along Ecoland Drive around 9:45 a.m. Wednesday (18 Nov 2015). MindaNews photo by Toto Lozano
German Daag, driver of the Toyota Hi-Ace van that came from Pikit in North Cotabato, told reporters he had just dropped off his passengers at the SM van terminal at around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and he and his aide, Tatat Besanez, immediately headed to the Times Beach area to eat breakfast when something exploded in the van just as they were cruising along Ecowest Drive fronting Ecoland 4000 Residences.
Duterte and the city police chief said the police were on
double red alert following Friday night’s terror attacks in Paris and the
Philippines’ hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC) in
Manila this week, but both officials admitted “nakalusot” (the incident was not
averted).
“Actually expected na ni (this was expected), not only in Davao but anywhere” since the terror attacks in Paris
“Among tan-aw cell phone gigamit ani” (We think a cell phone
was used to detonate here), said Duterte.
But Danao said they cannot conclude the explosion was caused
by a bomb until the post-blast investigation is finished. Only then will they
know, he said, if this was “caused by bomb explosion or something went wrong.”
Only the rear of the van was damaged but because of the
impact of the explosion, the shards reached some 80 meters away from the van,
deflating tires and partly damaging the sides of vehicles parked on the road
outside the condominium.
Danao urged the public to also help by reporting
suspicious-looking persons in their vicinity.
Danao said he cannot say what the message of the
perpetrators is but “definitely if you will choose Davao City
But he noted that there would have been a “bigger damage and
bigger casualty” if the passengers were still inside the van.
Radio DXAB reports said three passengers disembarked at the
terminal while another got off on the road outside the terminal.
Duterte ordered the police to strengthen and tighten
security measures and even add personnel particularly those in the boundaries.
“Expected na man ni” (This was expected), Duterte said,
especially after what happened in Paris and this week’s APEC. “Maayo gani kay
walay namatay,” (It’s good nobody died), Duterte said as he urged the public to
trust the police and the Task Force Davao.
Among Mindanaos’s 33 cities, it is only Davao City
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/11/18/1-injured-in-blast-inside-commercial-van-vm-duterte-says-relax-lang/
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