Witness in N. Cotabato bombing surfaces

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines - The provincial police office is now in protective custody of a witness who personally knew one of the two men behind Wednesday night’s deadly bombing of a chapel in Pikit town.

Senior Superintendent Danilo Peralta, provincial police director, said the witness, whose name he declined to reveal to protect relatives from possible reprisals, positively identified one of the two suspects who fired a 40 millimeter grenade at the chapel of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) using a shoulder-fire launcher.

Two churchgoers were killed while three others were hurt in the bombing.

Two of the wounded worshipers, Jeremias Dandan and his engineer-son Gerome, are relatives of the former municipal police chief, Senior Inspector Elias Dandan, a decorated officer who was responsible for neutralizing more than a dozen criminal gangs while assigned in Pikit.

Peralta said one of the two bombers is wanted for robbery cases that are pending in local courts. He did not elaborate, however.

The suspects are both known “guns-for-hire” too, said Peralta.

He said they will do their best to build an airtight case against the suspects for perpetrating the UCCP church bombing.

The victims were performing midweek prayer rites when the explosive projectile, fired from a distance through the entrance door of the worship site, landed and went off near them.