From Rappler (Jun 13, 2023): Authorities thwart Independence Day bomb plot in Mindanao (By ROMMEL REBOLLIDO)
Officials say the BIFF had planned to topple a NGCP tower to cause widespread power outages in time for the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – A faint explosion alerted authorities and led them into thwarting more potentially powerful explosions that could have caused widespread power outages in the Soccsksargen region and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Independence Day.
After the first explosion, authorities found three more bombs at a power pylon of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Pikit town, Cotabato province, on Monday, June 12.
Lieutenant Colonel John Miridel Calinga, the police chief of Pikit town, identified the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) as the group behind the foiled attempt to topple NGCP Tower No. 39 in Sitio Punol, Barangay Batulawan in Pikit.
Calinga said the bombs found were homemade explosive devices the BIFF has been known for.
The BIFF is not to be confused with the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The BIFF is a militant group that emerged in the early 2000s after breaking away from the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front due to ideological and strategic differences.
The BIFF aims to establish an independent Islamic state in the predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao and has been involved in various acts of violence, including bombings, attacks on government forces, and clashes with other armed groups in the region. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the government.
Bomb experts disarmed the homemade explosive devices, made out of anti-personnel mines, which have been attached to the power pylon.
Lieutenant Colonel Rowel Gavilanes, commander of the Army’s 90th Infantry Battalion, said the BIFF had planned to topple the NGCP pylon that is being used for power transmission from the Mindanao power grid to Soccsksargen and BARMM as the country celebrated the Philippine Independence Day.
Had the pylon been toppled, it could have plunged many areas in the two Mindanao regions into darkness, Calinga said.
Gavilanes said residents in Batulawan were the first to hear a faint explosion in the area past 8 am, and quickly reported it to authorities.
He said the police and Army sent teams of bomb experts to check and disarmed the devices.
Brigadier General Donald Gumiran, the commander of the Army’s 602nd Brigade, said all military units went on alert in anticipation of more bombing attempts and other forms of violence.
Police and soldiers were sent to immediately check other NGCP power pylons, and security was tightened along power substations and main distribution lines.
“This could be just a diversionary tactic for a possible retaliatory attack by lawless groups in response to the ongoing drive against terrorists and lawless groups,” Gumiran said.
On Sunday, June 11, a tricycle driver alerted soldiers in the remote village of Kadigasan, Midsayap town, Cotabato, about a package. Bomb experts checked and found an 81mm explosive inside.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/mindanao/independence-day-bomb-plot-mindanao-june-12-2023/
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – A faint explosion alerted authorities and led them into thwarting more potentially powerful explosions that could have caused widespread power outages in the Soccsksargen region and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Independence Day.
After the first explosion, authorities found three more bombs at a power pylon of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Pikit town, Cotabato province, on Monday, June 12.
Lieutenant Colonel John Miridel Calinga, the police chief of Pikit town, identified the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) as the group behind the foiled attempt to topple NGCP Tower No. 39 in Sitio Punol, Barangay Batulawan in Pikit.
Calinga said the bombs found were homemade explosive devices the BIFF has been known for.
The BIFF is not to be confused with the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The BIFF is a militant group that emerged in the early 2000s after breaking away from the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front due to ideological and strategic differences.
The BIFF aims to establish an independent Islamic state in the predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao and has been involved in various acts of violence, including bombings, attacks on government forces, and clashes with other armed groups in the region. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the government.
Bomb experts disarmed the homemade explosive devices, made out of anti-personnel mines, which have been attached to the power pylon.
Lieutenant Colonel Rowel Gavilanes, commander of the Army’s 90th Infantry Battalion, said the BIFF had planned to topple the NGCP pylon that is being used for power transmission from the Mindanao power grid to Soccsksargen and BARMM as the country celebrated the Philippine Independence Day.
Had the pylon been toppled, it could have plunged many areas in the two Mindanao regions into darkness, Calinga said.
Gavilanes said residents in Batulawan were the first to hear a faint explosion in the area past 8 am, and quickly reported it to authorities.
He said the police and Army sent teams of bomb experts to check and disarmed the devices.
Brigadier General Donald Gumiran, the commander of the Army’s 602nd Brigade, said all military units went on alert in anticipation of more bombing attempts and other forms of violence.
Police and soldiers were sent to immediately check other NGCP power pylons, and security was tightened along power substations and main distribution lines.
“This could be just a diversionary tactic for a possible retaliatory attack by lawless groups in response to the ongoing drive against terrorists and lawless groups,” Gumiran said.
On Sunday, June 11, a tricycle driver alerted soldiers in the remote village of Kadigasan, Midsayap town, Cotabato, about a package. Bomb experts checked and found an 81mm explosive inside.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/mindanao/independence-day-bomb-plot-mindanao-june-12-2023/
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