One killed, nine hurt in two explosions in Northern Mindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 5): One killed, nine hurt in two explosions in Northern Mindanao

Two separate explosions occurred in Northern Mindanao in less than 12 hours, wounding nine and killing one on Monday.

The first explosion occurred in Tubod, Lanao Del Norte near a bus stop past 11 a.m. Monday, wounding five persons. The second explosion took place in a remote farming village in Baungon, Bukidnon past 6 p.m. Monday, wounding four and killing one.

An Army report identified those wounded in the Tubod explosion as Judith Padilla Gomez, Pamela Dalman, Cherrie Molina, and Peter de la Vega, all of Iligan City. The other was Saipuden Bucay of Bulod, Tubod, Lanao Del Norte. Rescuers brought the victims to a hospital in Baroy, Lanao Del Norte.

Maj. Edgardo P. Amores, spokesperson of the Army’s 1st "Tabak" Division based in Pagadian City, said that an improvised explosive device placed in a motorcycle went off in front of Ysmael Restaurant along the national highway in Tubod, Lanao del Norte past 11 a.m. Monday.  

Amores said that investigators were looking at politics as possible motive of the explosion since town Mayor Sultan Johnny Tawantawan of Salvador, Lanao Del Norte, and his lawyer Yusop Omar were eating at the restaurant when the explosion occurred.

He said the military and police were trying to establish the identities of the suspects and the ownership of the motorcycle parked by an unidentified person near a bus stop in front of the eatery.

On the other hand, Inspector Christian Relebo of the Baungon police, said that an unidentified person lobbed a grenade and strafed the house of the Puklawan family past 6:30 p.m. Monday in the farming village of Balintag, Baungon, Bukidnon, wounding four and killing a member of the family.

He identified the lone fatality as Ramil Blanela Puklawan, who went missing Monday night. Police recovered his body with various shrapnel wounds and a bullet wound early morning Tuesday in the rabbles of lumbers demolished in the explosion.

Relebo said that police also recovered a magazine with live ammunition of a carbine rifle and several empty shells in the place of explosion.  Police were still looking into the motive of the grenade throwing and strafing of the house of Puklawans.

Relebo said that the police were suspecting a group of armed bandits roaming in the hinterlands of Bukidnon as responsible for the grenade throwing and strafing of the Puklawans' house.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=494372