Troops foil bombing of Iglesia ni Cristo church in Mindanao

"Police blamed for lapses in intelligence and security, and failure to secure church despite past attempts to bomb Iglesia ni Cristo."

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 1, 2008) – For the third time in four days, Philippine soldiers foiled a bomb attack Monday on a church in the southern town of Kabacan in Mindanao.

Officials said soldiers discovered an improvised explosive in front of the Iglesia ni Cristo after civilians alerted the military about the bomb.

No group claimed responsibility for the failed attack, but a regional army spokesman, Lt. Col. Julieto Ando blamed extortionist for the three bombing attempts on the church.

“We have intelligence reports pointing to extortionist as behind the failed attack. The lawless elements were demanding half a million pesos every month from the Iglesia ni Cristo,” Ando told the Mindanao Examiner.

Ando previously blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the foiled attacks and for the bomb explosion Nov. 26 outside the church of the Jehova’s Witness.
On Thursday, soldiers also disarmed an improvised explosive in front of the Iglesia ni Cristo and two other bombs on Saturday.

But it was not immediately known how the bombers were able to plant explosives in front of the church despite previous attempt to blow up the church.

Christian worshipers blamed the police in Kabacan town for for lapses in intelligence and security and its failure to guard the area despite repeated attempts to attack the Iglesia ni Cristo and the bombing of the Jehova’s Witness church.

Ando said Monday’s improvised explosive was assembled from an anti-rocket commonly used by MILF rebels. “There is no doubt rebels were behind this latest attempt to bomb the church,” he said without elaborating further.

The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which is fighting the past decades for self-determination.

Peace talks between the MILF and Manila collapsed in August after rebels launched a series of deadly attacks over in North Cotabato, Sarangani and Lanao del Norte provinces in Mindanao over the failed signing of a Muslim homeland deal between the two sides.

And sporadic fighting continues in some areas in the troubled region. Clashes were also reported since Friday in Basilan island, south of Zamboanga City, where troops mounted fresh offensives to flush out the Abu Sayyaf fighters.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of militants allied with the MILF and is largely blamed for the spate of kidnappings-for-ransom and extortion in Mindanao. It is also believed to have ties with the Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror networks. (Mindanao Examiner)