Cops close in on suspects in Iligan City bombing

MANILA, Philippines - With a witness and a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, police are trying to zero in on the perpetrator of Tuesday’s bombing in Iligan City. Northern Mindanao police head Chief Superintendent Danilo Empedrad hinted the bombing may be connected to rogue elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). "As of now, meron kaming nakausap na witness at kino-collate namin ang mga ebidensyang nai-turn over sa Crime Laboratory. Nasisiguro namin na ang ginamit na bomba ay 81mm projectile na mortar," Empedrad said in an interview on dzXL radio. [As of now we have talked to witnesses and are collating evidence turned over to the Crime Laboratory. We have so far ascertained the bomb was an 81-mm projectile mortar.] When asked if the MILF may be connected to the incident, he said there have been "threats" to Iligan City since the Supreme Court rejected in August 2008 the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) that would have paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro homeland. Iligan City was among the areas that campaigned for the rejection by the high court of the MOA-AD between the government and the MILF. "Simula nang na-scrap ang MOA-AD marami nang threat sa aming lugar particularly Iligan City dahil isa ito sa nag-spearhead ng pagkilos kontra sa panukalang yan. So tuluy-tuloy ang threat from Commander Bravo na lider ng lawless MILF group. Isa ito sa angulo na aming tinitignan," Empedrad said. [Since the time the MOA-AD was scrapped there have been threats to our area particularly Iligan City. The threats have continued from Commander Bravo leader of the lawless MILF group. And this is one of the angles we are looking into as motive.] A separate report on dzBB radio Wednesday said the Iligan City CCTV center showed that at 10:24 a.m., a suspect ordered two minors to carry a heavy bag for him. The suspect had the minors leave the bag at a parked Mitsubishi Lancer sedan and after a few minutes, an explosion occurred. According to the dzBB report, 18 were hurt in the blast. For his part, PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Leonardo Espina said police are ascertaining the whereabouts of the suspects involved in previous bombings. "Ilalabas natin ang mga pangalan [We will name names] in due time so as not to jeopardize our operational movements. We’re also looking into the possibility of a link between Tuesday’s blast especially the one against Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan in Sulu a few months back," Espina said in an interview on dzXL radio, but did not elaborate. He also said they are checking if the Iligan and Jolo bombings were coordinated. “With the leads our investigators are pursuing malalaman natin agad kung ito sinadya ng isang grupo lang. Meantime may mga leads na tayo [With the leads our investigators are pursuing, we will know if just one group was behind the incident]," he said. But MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu maintained the MILF had nothing to do with the bombings, noting they already condemned the incidents. Interviewed twice on dzXL Wednesday morning, Kabalu reiterated his call for an investigation by an international group. "Anong mapapala ng MILF sa ganitong klaseng pangyayari [What will the MILF gain from the incidents]? The situation is very ripe for third party groups to exploit," he said. - GMANews.TV