Explosions rock Cotabato, Maguindanao on the eve before election

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Explosions ripped through the city and the town center of nearby Datu Odin Sinsuat Sunday night but security officials said Monday’s local polling activities would proceed as scheduled.

Two separate blasts first rocked at past 10:00 p.m. Sunday the surroundings of the Cotabato City People’s palace, the operations center of the city government.

Responding Army and police ordnance experts told reporters they found fragments of 40 millimeter grenade projectiles in the blast scene.

The grenades that were fired from a distance using either an M-79 launcher or an M203 rifle landed on a vacant lot at one side of the fenced People’s Palace.

No one was hurt in the blasts by the incident triggered panic among villagers residing in houses nearby.

Brig. Gen. Graciano Mijares, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said personnel of the Cotabato City police office, led by Lt. Col. Michael Lebanan, are still investigating on the grenade attacks.

“That will not affect the election activities in Cotabato City the PRO-BARMM and military units in the city remain on top of the situation,” Mijares said.

The two explosions here preceded the grenade blast several minutes later in the town proper of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

The reelectionist mayor, vice mayor and municipal councilors in Datu Odin Sinsuat are all unopposed.

Mijares said personnel of the Datu Odin Sinsuat municipal police are still investigating on the incident.

He said there are reports too of an explosion somewhere Datu Saudi town in the second district of Maguindanao, but the local police have not confirmed the incident yet.

“Let’s give them enough time to send their reports here. That is subject to confirmation yet,” Mijares said.

Major Gen. Cirilito Sobejana of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division said he has deployed enough number of soldiers in politically troubled towns in Maguindanao, in parts of Lanao del Sur, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces and in the cities of Cotabato and Tacurong to guard polling precincts there.

“Everything is under control,” Sobejana said early Monday.