Lorenzana in Cotabato to oversee investigation on mall bombing

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana sat down with top military and police officials, as well as city and local leaders, in Cotabato City on Thursday to oversee the investigation on the mall bombing last Dec. 31 that claimed the lives of two civilians and injured 34 others.

Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, 6th Infantry Division commander, told Lorenzana that the probe pointed to the Daulah Islamiyah terror group as perpetrators.

He added that the Philippine National Police is working to verify the involvement of two possible suspects.

There were talks that the bombing was carried out by a vested interest group that wanted to influence the outcome of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite on Jan. 21 in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Cotabato City and Isabela City.

But the bomb components recovered by military and police probers bore the signatures of local terrorists. Investigators said the bomb, triggered through a cellphone, was fashioned out of a plastic container with improvised electric blasting cap, a nine-volt battery and concrete nails.

“Until we get to the bottom of this, we consider this incident a terror attack… Rest assured that your military and the police are doing their best to ensure that you can vote freely according to your choice,” Lorenzana said.

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., who also attended the meeting, asked local leaders to stay calm following the attack as he noted the political tension between the incumbent city leaders who are opposed to the BOL and those who fully support the inclusion of Cotabato City under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“We can’t win peace by force, but by persuasive diplomacy and understanding,” Galvez told them.

Aside from Cotabato City and Lanao del Norte, another plebiscite is slated on Feb. 6 for Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato and the barangays that filed petitions to join the BARMM.

Lorenzana said they went to Cotabato to prevent speculations and “finger-pointing” about the bombing.

“We are here to defuse the tensions and we don’t want to escalate the conflict,” he said.

He also called on the people to study the benefits of the BOL, saying, “We’ve been waiting for the BOL for a long time. There will be a lot of benefits. Let’s weigh it over so we can have peace.”

Galvez said local leaders and security forces are committed to making sure the upcoming plebiscite and elections “will be peaceful and reflect the honest will of the people.”   – With Jose Rodel Clapano