Get those bombers

Two buses were bombed while a third barely escaped a similar fate. The explosions left at least 44 people dead, with the death toll still rising yesterday. That same afternoon, 10 passengers were wounded when a bomb ripped through another bus in Zamboanga del Norte. Were the bombers trying to make a political statement? More likely, they were trying to get back at the buses' owner.

The two buses that were bombed Friday afternoon while being transported on a ferry across Panguil Bay in Ozamis City were both owned by the Super 5 Bus Company. The bus in Zamboanga del Norte was also part of the Super 5 fleet. That night, a fourth bomb was discovered on another Super 5 bus at the Agora terminal in Cagayan de Oro City. Explosives experts were called in to disarm the bomb.

Clearly, these were attacks aimed at Super 5. But why would terrorists pick on a bus company? Military officials said bus companies in Mindanao have been the targets of extortionists including members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Bus operators in Mindanao have been complaining of extortion and terrorist attacks in recent months. Early yesterday, suspected communist rebels flagged down near Davao City another bus -- not a Super 5 this time -- and ordered the passengers to get out before setting fire to the vehicle.

Naturally, no one wants to take responsibility for an attack that has left 44 people dead. The MILF, which is exploring peace with the government, has denied involvement in the blasts. Such claims of innocence can only be verified if law enforcers catch the bombers. The bombings are already threatening to derail anew the peace talks between the government and the MILF. They have also projected Mindanao once again as an island where lawlessness reigns, where terrorists are rarely caught, where no one is made to account for extortion, looting, arson, kidnapping and murder.

On the same day that the buses were bombed, the head of the military's Southern Command was sacked. Will a change in leadership lead to an improvement in peace and order? At the very least, the new Southcom chief should get the murderers who bombed those buses.