Cops hunt down 2 men in North Cotabato bombing that hurt boy

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 1): Cops hunt down 2 men in North Cotabato bombing that hurt boy

MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato -- Police here are hunting down two men on motorbike suspected to have planted an improvised bomb along a major highway here that went off at 4:30 a.m. and injured a pedicab driver.

”Pursuit operation is going on against the two, we are following up a lead,” Supt. Bernard Tayong, Midsayap town police chief, said.

The blast that occurred near a branch of nationwide drug store and a famous restaurant here injured a 16-year-old pedicab driver, a resident of nearby Aleosan, North Cotabato.

No one has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack. The victim was rushed to the hospital by responding cops.

Tayong, who withheld the victim’s name, said the motive of the IED could be extortion as it was planted near a famous restaurant along Quezon Avenue.

Tayong said investigators are looking at other possible motives and groups who could have set off the IED. He said the BIFF is in the radar of investigators.

Police and military forces are placed on heightened alert following the bombing.

Bomb experts said the IED was made of black powder, cut nails as shrapnel and mobile phone as trigger mechanism, similar to ordnance set off by outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Maguindanao against government forces.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=976766