Bomb explodes in Zamboanga City ahead of general elections

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 8, 2010) – An improvised bomb exploded on Saturday in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines ahead of general elections next week, police said.

Police said the blast occurred shortly before 5.30 a.m. in downtown area near the City Hall. No one was reported injured or killed in the attack.

Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, the chief of the local police force, said the bomb was planted near a shrine for war veterans along Rizal Street. “There is an investigation going on,” he said.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the bombing and the motive of the attack is still unknown, but authorities have previously linked Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to Jemaah Islamiya and al-Qaeda terror network and Moro rebels.

More than 50 million Filipinos are to elect their new leaders in Monday’s general elections in the country’s first automated polls.

Last year, three small explosions occurred in three areas in downtown Zamboanga City, although there were no reports of casualties.

In 2008, a series of bombings killed and wounded more than a dozen people in Zamboanga City, where the two rebel groups are known to be actively operating. (Mindanao Examiner)

2 killed Maguindanao bombing

Soldiers inspect a site in the village of Kitanggo in Maguindanao's Datu Saudi Ampatuan town where an improvised explosive went off Monday, June 29, 2009 killing two persons and wounding eight others. The Army's 6th Infantry Division has blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the bombing, an accusation strongly denied by the rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner Photo by Mark Navales).

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 29, 2009) – Two people were killed on Monday and at least 8 others wounded in a bomb attack blamed by the military to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the restive Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, said the powerful explosion occurred at around 6 a.m. near a market in Kitanggo village in town of Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao province.

He said the explosion killed Malimpunok Nunokan, 65, and Tong Hadji Omal, 25.

“One of the dead was the courier of the bomb and a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s special operations group,” Ponce said without identifying the bomber.

It was unknown if the bombing was a suicide attack. Other reports said the improvised explosive was planted near a café.

Ponce the bomb was assembled from an 81mm mortar. “The series of IED bombings in central Mindanao are the handiwork of the special operations group of the MILF,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the blast, but the MILF denied it was behind the bombing and said soldiers planted the explosive as part of its campaign to discredit the rebel group.

“Villagers saw soldiers arrived in the area at dawn and there was an explosion several hours later,” Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, told reporters.

The MILF, which is fighting the last three decades for self-determination in Mindanao, previously accused government soldiers as behind the spate of bombings and burning of houses in the province to discredit the rebel group. (Mindanao Examiner)

Mindanao bombing leaves 9 wounded

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao / June 27, 2009) – At least 9 people were injured Saturday in a fresh attack blamed by the Philippine military to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in the restive region of Mindanao.

Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said rebels detonated an improvised explosive planted at a commuter bus depot in Tacurong City.

“Nine people were injured in the blast and two of them are in critical condition,” he said.

Ponce quickly blamed the MILF and tagged a rebel leader Abdul Basit Usman as behind the attack, even as police is still investigating the blast. “The special operations group of the MILF under Basit Usman is behind this bombing,” he said.

The MILF strongly denied the accusations and urged police authorities to investigate the latest bombing.

“We have nothing to do with the bombing of the bus terminal. Police should investigate whether this (attack) was connected to extortion or business rivalry,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the explosion, but previous attacks on bus terminals had been largely blamed by the police to extortion syndicate called the Al-Khobar gang.

In April, a powerful bomb explosion also ripped through a commuter bus in Koronadal City and wounding at least 6 people. Scores of people were also killed and wounded in bus depot bombings in Mindanao in recent years. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)

Rebels bomb power pylons in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 4, 2009) – Suspected Moro rebels bombed two power pylons in the southern Philippines, cutting electricity in some of parts of Mindanao, the military said Thursday.

It said Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels were behind the attacks late Wednesday in Sarangani province. There was no immediate statement from the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the troubled region.

The military previously tagged the MILF in similar attacks in recent years.

Peace talks between the MILF and Manila collapsed last year after the government reneged on a deal that would have granted some four million Muslims a separate homeland across more than 700 areas in Mindanao.

The Supreme Court said the deal was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Army blames MILF rebels for spate of bomb attacks in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 31, 2009) – The Philippine Army on Sunday has blamed the country’s largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front as behind the spate of terrorism in the restive region of Mindanao.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, said the MILF, whose peace talks with Manila collapsed last year, have been targeting civilians in central Mindanao.

Ponce said the rebels detonated an improvised explosive assembled from a 60mm mortar bomb late Saturday in front of cockpit arena in the village of Salman in Lebak town in Sultank Kudarat province.

He said although there were no reports of casualties, the attack proved the MILF is targeting civilians to sow terror.

“The signature of the improvised explosive device and how it was made is patterned to the handiwork of the special operations groups of the MILF. These groups are desperate that even civilian are not spared,” Ponce told the Mindanao Examiner.
The MILF has denied it was behind the attack.

On Friday, a bomb also destroyed a parked truck in Cotabato City, but there were no casualties. It was unknown if the MILF was behind the blast.

Peace negotiations collapsed in August after Manila reneged on a deal that would grant a separate homeland to some four million Muslims in Mindanao. The Supreme Court said the deal was unconstitutional. (Mindanao Examiner)

Bomb explodes in Zamboanga town

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 01, 2009) – A homemade bomb exploded early Wednesday in front of hardware store in a southern Philippine town previously pillaged by Abu Sayyaf militants, officials said.

Officials said the blast at around 4.10 a.m. damaged the façade of the L & A Construction and Electrical Supplies in downtown Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province.

No one was reported killed or injured in the explosion, said Army Lt. Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command.

She said the motive of the bombing is still being investigated by authorities and no group or individual claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Suspects remain unknown for the moment while the motive of the blast is being investigated. The army is actively assisting the police in the investigation,” Cacho told the Mindanao Examiner.

Abu Sayyaf militants had pillaged the town in 1995, killing 53 people and burned the business district of Ipil before escaping. More than 200 militants, headed by Abu Sayyaf chieftain Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, led the attack. Janjalani was killed three years later in a clash with police in nearby Basilan Island. (Mindanao Examiner)

9 wounded in Kidapawan City bombing

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3 wounded in bomb blast in Kidapawan City

Post-blast investigators search for debris Monday, March 22, 2009 in Kidapawan City

in the southern Philippine province of North Cotabato after an improvised explosive

went off at an overpass, wounding at least three people.

(Mindanao Examiner - Best Available Photo / Geo Solmerano)

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 22, 2009) – At least three people were wounded in a powerful bomb explosion late Sunday in Kidapawan City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said the improvised bomb exploded at an overpass in downtown area, wounding at least 3 people. “Definitely this is the handiwork of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

He said troops were deployed in Kidapawan City to help local police secure the area. The blast, he said, occurred at around 6.30 p.m.

“An IED was used in the attack. Our EOD team is still in the area and trying to determine what kind of explosive was used by the perpetrators,” Ponce said.

An improvised explosive also went off at a commuter bus depot earlier in Cotabato City, but there were no reports of civilian casualties in the blast which occurred at around 2.45 a.m.
Two buses, owned by Husky, were slightly damaged from the blast, Ponce said.
Ponce also blamed the attack to the MILF, which denied the accusation.

“The motive of the attack is extortion by the MILF-SOG,” he said, referring to the so-called Special Operations Group, a unit of the rebel group.

But police investigators were eyeing business rivalry in the blast. The MILF denied the accusation and said it has nothing to do with the attack. “Why blame us for everything that is happening in Mindanao, we have nothing to do with it. We are not terrorists,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader. (With a report from Geo Solmerano)

Steel pylon blasted in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 17, 2009) – Suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels blasted a steel pylon in the southern Philippines, cutting off electricity in some areas in the troubled region, an army spokesman said on Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, of the 6th Infantry Division, said the rebels planted and detonated explosives late Monday on one of the towers of state-owned National Power Corporation, about 80 meters from the highway in the village of Malabuaya in North Cotabato’s Kabacan town.

He said troops also recovered an unexploded improvised explosive in the area.
“This attack is perpetrated by the MILF’s special operation’s group,” Ponce said without further elaborating, but previous bombings in the area were also quickly blamed to the rebel group which is fighting for independence in Mindanao.

The MILF denied Ponce’s accusation. “We have nothing to do with the bombing. Authorities should investigate these attacks and stop blaming us for all crimes in the southern Philippines,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

Ponce also blamed the MILF for raiding a small community in Alamada town also in North Cotabato where rebels took 15 cows and abducted three villagers last Sunday.

But Kabalu blamed cattle rustlers for the attack.

The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group which has signed a cease-fire accord with Manila in 2001. However, peace talks between the two groups collapsed last year after the failed signing of the ancestral domain deal which would have granted homeland to more than four million Muslims across over 700 villages in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

7 wounded in bomb explosion in Southern Philippines

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 3, 2008) – At least seven people were wounded in an bomb explosion late Saturday in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province in the southern Philippines, military and police reports said.

It said the bomb exploded on a roadside. Seven civilians were wounded in the blast and rushed to the Tamondong hospital in Tacurong.

Authorities did not say what type of bomb was used or the motive of the attack, but suspicion fell heavily on the rebel group called the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which is fighting for a separate homeland in Mindanao.

The MILF denied the accusation and said it has nothing to do with the explosion.

“Why do the authorities always put the blame on us every time there is bombing, why? The MILF is not a terrorist group, we want peace and we are for peace,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

Last month, two people were also injured in a grenade attack on another roadside eatery.

In September, a homemade bomb exploded at a market in Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat and another explosive disarmed at a market in Tacurong.

No group claimed responsibility for the latest bombing.

Peace talks between the MILF and the Arroyo government collapsed after the failed signing of the Muslim ancestral domain in August. The aborted signing triggered a series of deadly rebel attacks in Mindanao.

The MILF is the country's largest Muslim rebel group which is fighting the past three decades for a separate homeland in the troubled region. (With a report from Geonarri Solmerano)

Four Filipino Terror Leaders Indicted In Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 12, 2008) – Philippine authorities filed criminal charges against four alleged leaders of the local terrorist group called Al-Khobar, blamed for the spate of bombings in the troubled region of Mindanao, officials announced Friday.

Police and military implicated the group to last week’s bombing of a commuter bus that killed at least 6 people and wounded over two dozens more in Digos City in Davao del Sur province.

Officials said police filed the charges against Salahudin Hasan alias Sudz; Abdulmalik Sali alias Dindo; Tahir Abubakar alias Jerome and Junaira Mimbidan and several followers.

Senior Superintendent Cesario Darantinao, the provincial police chief, the Al-Khobar was behind the attack on the Davao Metro Shuttle bus after a failed extortion. It was the second attack on the bus firm since early this year.

Authorities also put up nearly two million pesos in bounties for the capture of any of the four terror leaders. (Romy Bwaga)

Children's Group Releases Images Of Air Strike Casualties In Southern Philippines

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 11, 2008) – The independent Kabiba Alliance for Children's Concerns in Mindanao has released Wednesday photos of civilian casualties during a military air strikes in the Maguindanao town of Datu Piang where security forces assaulted Moro rebels.

The air strikes on Monday killed seven civilians, including children, according to local officials and President Gloria Arroyo has ordered an investigation into the incident.

The Philippine military blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for the fighting, saying, rebels attacked a chopper in the village of Tee, an allegation denied by the group.

Bomb Explodes, Another Found In Southern Philippines

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 8, 2008) – A homemade bomb exploded early Monday at a market area and a second explosive was disarmed in the southern Philippines, where troops are pursuing are battling Moro rebels, officials said.

Officials said there were no reports of casualties from the blast that occurred at around 4 a.m. at the entrance of main market in the town of Isulan in Sultan Kudarat province. A second bomb was also discovered and disarmed by soldiers in Tacurong City also in the province, said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, a regional army spokesman.

“It’s good that no one was hurt or killed in the blast. We still don’t know who was behind this, but clearly this is part of a terror campaign and we appeal to the public to stay vigilant,” Ando told the Mindanao Examiner.

Ando said the homemade planted at the market’s entrance probably exploded prematurely. “The market usually opens at about five in the morning and the bomb exploded an hour earlier,” he said.

He said the second explosive was planted outside the Julsom bakery just across the Tamondong hospital in nearby Tacurong City, east of Isulan town, but the bomb was discovered before it could explode.

The bomb was assembled from a mortar head and connected to a mobile phone that was used to trigger detonation, but it apparently malfunctioned and failed to explode.

No group claimed responsibility for the bombing or to the failed attack, but Ando said Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had used similar bombs in the past and were probably behind it.

The MILF, which is currently negotiation peace with Manila, is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the restive region on Mindanao, but the negotiations were stalled after two rebel commanders Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led a series of deadly attacks in Mindanao.

Security forces were pursuing hundreds of rebels involved in the attacks and sporadic fighting had killed dozens of people in recent weeks and forced more than 200,000 civilians to flee their homes in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

RP Troops Foil Bombings Of Power Pylons In Troubled South

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 6, 2008) – Philippine soldiers have foiled bomb attacks Friday on two vital power lines in the hinterlands of Mindanao, where several pylons had been toppled by rebels the past weeks.

Two bombs, assembled from mortars and rigged to an electronic timer, were discovered in two separate towers in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat province. One of the bomb was set to explode at 9.30 a.m. and the other at 3.30 p.m. and both had been disarmed by soldiers.

A security guard of the state-owned National Transmission Corporation discovered the bombs and informed police and military about the explosives.

No group claimed responsibility for the failed attack, but authorities have previously tagged rouge members of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front as behind past bombings of power lines in Mindanao.

The MILF, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, denied allegations it was behind the bombings.

On Tuesday and Thursday, two more pylons were damaged from separate bombings in Sultan Kudarat’s President Elpidio Quirino town and a third attack on power line failed in Tacurong City after soldiers discovered a bomb before it was to explode.

Security forces have stepped up its patrol in Mindanao to thwart attempts to bomb government targets, said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

“We have doubled our efforts to prevent bombings of power pylons. We are doing our best to protect vital government installations,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Ando said the attacks were aimed at targeting the local economy. “This is economic sabotage,” he said.

Last month, several pylons were also toppled in Sarangani and Lanao del Sur province, plunging many areas in Mindanao into darkness. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF Leader To Deadly Zamboanga Blast

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MILF Slams Terror Tag, Denies Role In Zamboanga bombing

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 30, 2008) – Philippine Muslim rebels negotiating peace with the government strongly denied Friday police allegations they were behind a deadly bomb attacking in Zamboanga City.

Three people were killed and more than a dozen others injured in Thursday blast just outside the Philippine Air Force base. Regional police chief Jaime Caringal blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is fighting for independence, as behind the attack, an accusation denied by the country’s largest Muslim rebel group.

“We have nothing to do with the attack. This could be the handiwork of anti-government groups or even people in the government to paint a scenario of chaos and terror and then put the blame on the MILF.”

“Our conscience is clean. We have condemned the attack in Zamboanga and we are asking for a thorough investigation of the bombing. There could be some groups out to derail the peace talks between the MILF and the Arroyo government,” Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The local police are still investigating the attack, but radio reports had quoted unnamed officials as saying that the Abu Sayyaf could be involved in the bombing. Police said the bomb was left outside the building that houses a military mutual fund and an office of the US Agency for International Development.

Khaled Musa, a senior MILF leader, also criticized Caringal for linking the rebel group to the bombing. “This is a serious allegation against the MILF. This is an irresponsible statement. The MILF is a partner of the government in the search for genuine peace in Mindanao,” he said.

Caringal also blamed the MILF for two bombings last month in Zamboanga City.

Peace talks were stalled since last year after Manila rejected MILF demands for ancestral lands for more than four million Muslims in the southern Philippines. The MILF said government peace negotiators reneged on a previous deal that will grant Muslims their ancestral domain which would constitute a separate homeland. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF, Isinabit Sa Zamboanga Bombing

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / May 30, 2008) - Muling isinabit ng pulisya ang rebeldeng Moro Islamic Liberation Front sa naganap na pagsabog sa Zamboanga City na kung saan ay tatlong katao ang nasawi at halos dalawang dosena ang sugatan.

Mabilis na pinagbintangan ni Chief Supt. Jaime Caringal, hepe ng pulisya sa Western Mindanao, ang MILF sa pambobomba kamakalawa sa labas ng Philippine Air Base na kung saan ay nawasak ang harapan ng isang building.

Sabit umano ang Special Operations Group ng MILF sa atake, bagamat patuloy pa ang imbestigasyon sa pagsabog. Mariing kinondena naman ng MILF ang akusasyon at hinamon pa ng rebeldeng grupo si Caringal na magbigay ng ebidensya.

Kaliwa’t-kanan pambabatikos ang inabot ni Caringal sa mga lider ng MILF. Nuong nakaraang buwan lamang ay mabilis rin ng pinagbintangan ni Caringal ang MILF sa dalawang pambobomba sa Zamboanga City, bagamat Abu Sayyaf naman ang itinuturo ng lokal na pulisya sa atake.

Walang umako sa pinakabagong pagsabog, subali’t naganap naman ito kasabay ng labanan sa pagitan ng MILF at militar sa Basilan mula pa nuong nakaraang linggo.

Kinondena ng MILF ang pagsabog sa Zamboanga City at sinabing kagagawan ito ng kampon ng kadiliman. Malungkot naman si Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat sa trahedyang sinapit at umapela naman ito sa media na huwag ng palakihin ang insidente.

Madalas sisihin ni Lobregat ang media sa mga negatibong balita ukol sa Zamboanga, na binansagang Asia’s Latin City dahil sa lenguaheng Chabacano na may halong Espanyol. (Mindanao Examiner)

After Bombing, Zamboanga Mayor Appeals To Public

Filipino and US bomb experts sift through debris Thursday, May 29, 2008 after a bombing outside the Philippine Air Force base that killed two people and wounded at least 18 others. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack, but previous bombings in Zamboanga City had been blamed to the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales and Arthur Abasolo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Mayor Celso Lobregat on Thursday called on local residents to stay calm and sober amidst the latest blast that rocked Zamboanga City, as he assured that the government is on top of the situation.

Two persons were killed and 21 others were injured when an improvised explosive devise went off at side of the Air Materiel Wing Savings Loan Association Inc. (AMWSLAI) building which houses the offices of the Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) and the office of Zamboanga City Rep. Maria Isabelle Climaco.

Lobregat said residents should continue with their normal lives and not be cowed by acts of terrorism. The mayor convened the City Peace and Order Council today with the presence of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano at City Hall.

“We condemn this barbaric and criminal act. All of the victims are innocent civilians including children”, the mayor said in a press conference.

He stressed that the military and police authorities in coordination with the local government unit are doing everything possible to ensure peace and security in Zamboanga City.

Secretary Teodoro said President Arroyo, who was in Tawi-tawi when the incident happened has ordered military and police authorities to submit to her a complete report about the latest incident and to exert all efforts to avoid repetition of the incident.

Gen. Yano said that the military through the Western Mindanao Command will come in to assist in whatever it can in the investigation even if the police is the lead agency in the probe. Yano and Teodoro were with the President in Tawi-tawi province and decided to go to Zamboanga on their way to Manila to meet with the Lobregat.

Mayor Lobregat yesterday morning rushed to the blast scene upon learning of the incident yesterday morning. He was in Sinunuc attending the dedication of the Church of Transfiguration together with Climaco when the incident happened.

Climaco’s office was also affected by the blast and two of members of her staff were slightly During the press con, Lobregat appealed to the media not to blow the incident out of proportion as the authorities are doing everything possible to neutralize the perpetrators. “This is an unfortunate incident. Please don’t blow this out of proportion”.

The mayor said the city government will shoulder all hospital and medical expenses of the injured victims including the burial of those killed in the incident.

After inspecting the blast site, Lobregat proceeded to the different hospitals to visit the victims.
Those killed were identified as Ayesa Busmion of San Roque village and Emedito Tality of Pasonanca village. Arnel Carbonilla is in critical condition. (Sheila Covarrubias)

Extort Gang Eyed In Mindanao Blast

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 19, 2008) – The Philippine military on Tuesday tagged a criminal syndicate as behind a new bomb attack on a commuter bus in the southern city of Cotabato.

The bombing injured three people late Monday and security officials tagged the Al-Khobar gang, an affiliate of the notorious Abu Sayyaf, also blamed for past attacks in the troubled region of Mindanao.

“Initial reports suggested the bombing was perpetrated by the Al-Khobar which has been linked to previous attacks on commuter buses in Mindanao,” Major Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said three people were injured the bombing that damaged a bus owned by the Weena Transit. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

Cotabato City, rocked by past bombings, kidnappings and killings has been previously tagged by Western countries as a dangerous place for foreigners because of the presence of terrorists.

Earlier this month, a bomb attack on a bus depot also wounded at least eight people in the town of Midsayap in North Cotabato. Although no groups claimed responsibility for the blast, authorities have linked the Al-Khobar and the Abu Sayyaf in the attack.

Last month, a homemade bomb exploded in Midsayap, damaging a bus also owned by Weena Transit. The explosive, assembled from a mortar round, was left near at the parked bus. (With reports from Mark Navales)

Three Injured In South RP Bombing

Police crime investigators at work Monday, May 19, 2008 at a commuter bus depot in Cotabato City in southern RP after a bomb exploded injuring three people. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 19, 2008) – Three people were injured when a homemade bomb exploded late Monday at a commuter bus depot in the southern Philippines, police and military said.

Authorities said the blast in Cotabato City damaged a bus owned by the Weena Transit. No one claimed responsibility for the attack and police and military officials would not say if the bombing was carried out by any particular terror group.

But previous attacks had been largely blamed to the Abu Sayyaf and its affiliate the Al-Khobar gang, tagged as behind the series of extortion activities in the strife-torn region of Mindanao.

Cotabato City, rocked by past bombings, kidnappings and killings has been previously tagged by Western countries as a dangerous place for foreigners because of the presence of terrorists. (With reports from Mark Navales)