Explosion rocks house of vice gov aspirant in Maguindanao del Sur
COTABATO CITY—Barely a week before the country’s midterm elections on May 12, and amidst heavy deployment of troops in the area earlier placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the house of an aspirant for vice governor in Maguindanao del Sur was rocked with explosions.
Police Lt. Dean Carlo Macusi, police chief of Buluan town, told the Inquirer on Monday that the explosion hit the gate of the residential compound of Ustadz Hisham Nando, the vice gubernatorial candidate of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the political party of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), at 9 p.m. on Sunday
No one was hurt and Nando was not around when the blast happened, the latest explosive-lobbing incident in the town during the election period.
The attack came amid the heavy presence of soldiers and police personnel in the area as Buluan, the provincial capital, had been placed under Comelec control for the midterm elections.
Police were still determining whether the recent explosion across Nando’s house had anything to do with the grenade explosion at the town’s municipal compound last month.
As of press time on Monday, police were still trying to extract the copy of the closed-circuit television footage in the area while their explosive ordinance unit still have to determine the type of explosives lobbed outside Nando’s house.
Police Lt. Col. Jopy Ventura, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said a special investigation task group had been created to go after the perpetrators and to determine the motives behind the attack.
He said the gate area where the explosive landed, which was about 20 meters from the house, only sustained minor damage while Nando’s family was safe.
Swift action
Buluan Mayor Babydats Mangudadatu condemned the explosion and called for “swift action of both police and the Philippine Army” to find the culprits.
The Provincial Explosive Canine Unit along with the Buluan police were still trying to determine the type of explosives thrown at Nando’s house.
Police Col. Bobby Paloma, provincial director for Maguindanao del Sur police, also said that joint forces from the Provincial Mobile Force Company, the 43rd Special Action Company of Special Action Force and the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Army were working together to locate those responsible for the attack.
“We already had coordination with adjacent police stations for dragnet operations and our security measures have been strengthened to ensure the safety of the public,” Paloma said.
According to Macusi, “No one has claimed responsibility in the attack.”
Stay united
The UBJP, in a statement, condemned the attack.
“This is clearly political harassment,” it said. “We should not be cowed by this act, the more we should remain united and win this election.”
On April 18, Good Friday, three explosions also rocked Buluan town, involving two explosives that damaged a car inside the municipal compound while the other was in front of a water refilling station in Barangay Poblacion.
Three days earlier, on April 15, the Comelec placed Buluan, the capital of Maguindanao del Sur, under its control due to intense political rivalries and the series of killings that may affect this month’s elections.
