Bomb found in Iligan City hours after President Arroyo's visit

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 19, 2008) – Security forces recovered Friday an improvised explosive in the southern Philippine city of Iligan, hours after President Gloria Arroyo left the area, officials said.

Officials said the improvised explosive, assembled from 81mm mortar, was concealed in a hollowed papaya and put inside a net bag and left at the Delecta Coffee and Bakeshop near where two bombs went off on Thursday.

The bomb was discovered at around 4 p.m. by an employee and reported the matter to the police. The bag was left by two men who had a snack at the coffee shop.

Arroyo flew to Iligan City a day after two powerful bomb explosions killed two people and wounding at least 48 others. She arrived at around 9:30 a.m. from Bukidnon province where she also visited.

She condoled with the families of the two killed in Thursday bombing of two shopping centers – Uni City Commercial Center and Jerry's Bargain Center, which authorities earlier referred as Jerry's Supermart.

Arroyo, accompanied by Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz and Rep. Vicente Belmonte, spoke with Jinky Suico, the pregnant widow of Erwin Suico, a store clerk; and Elray Badelles, the brother of Jonas Badelles, who were both killed in the blasts.

She also gave P50,000 burial assistance to the families of Suico and Badelles. Arroyo also visited those injured in the hospital and distributed envelopes containing P30,000 to the blast victims. Arroyo left at around noontime.

No groups or individual claimed responsibility for the attacks, but authorities blamed rogue factions in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as behind the twin bombings, but the country's largest Muslim rebel group denied the accusations.

"We have nothing to do with the bombings. The MILF is not a terrorist organization and we condemned the attacks in Iligan City," said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

Peace talks between Manila and the MILF collapsed in August after the failed signing of the Muslim ancestral domain agreement. (Mindanao Examiner)