Report: IED explodes in Cotabato drugstore, extortion eyed

Tension gripped a neighborhood in Cotabato City after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off inside a drugstore there shortly after noon Monday. No one was initially reported injured in the blast, which took place at 12:45 p.m. at the Mercury Drug outlet, radio dzXL reported. Initial investigation showed an employee of the drugstore saw the IED and warned customers inside the establishment. The customers managed to get out of the drugstore before the IED exploded. Police said the homemade bomb was placed inside a stocking, and wired to a cellular phone. Investigators are looking into extortion as a possible motive, noting that a caller called up the drugstore to claim what happened was just a "sample." — LBG, GMANews.TV