Explosion rocks North Cotabato town; no one hurt

KIDAPAWAN CITY – An explosion rocked a barangay in Kabacan town in North Cotabato on Tuesday night, but no one was reported injured. Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas, provincial police director in North Cotabato, said the blast took place in front of Kakuan Drier, which is located on the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) Avenue in Barangay Poblacion. Though no one was injured, the blast sent residents near the area into panic. Salinas said he already instructed the police to secure residents in the area. “Friendly forces in adjacent areas are also alerted to preempt another incident," he said. Tuesday’s explosion was the second in Kabacan town since October. Two weeks ago, a roadside bomb went off after a passenger bus passed a portion of the national highway in Kabacan, just few meters away from an Army detachment. The blast injured a 17-year-old student of the University of Southern Mindanao and destroyed the right portion of the Rural Transit Bus. Authorities have yet to determine the motive of those behind Tuesday night’s blast. Malu Cadelina Manar/KBK, GMA News