Manila: The presidential palace on Monday condemned the recent attacks in Central Mindanao region.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the explosion that hit General Santos City on Sunday which left scores of people injured,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
On the same day, just eight hours after the blast beside the budget TGP drugstore in General Santos City, another explosion rocked Midsayap in North Cotabato.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the explosion that took place at around 7:15pm inside Theresa’s Place Videoke bar in the village of Poblacion 4 in Midsayap.
“This comes at an unfortunate time when the nation is reeling from the effects of Ompong (Typhoon Mangkhut),” Roque said, promising government efforts to bring “the perpetrators of this brazen attack to justice.”
On August 30, a powerful explosion inside an internet cafe in the village of Kalawag 2 in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat, killed an 18-year-old male and his 15-year-old cousin while causing injuries to nine others.
On August 28, an explosion on the night of the traditional harvest festival in Isulan’s Kalawag 3 village killed three people and injured 34 others.
The blasts occurred despite a Mindanao-wide martial law declared by President Rodrigo Duterte in May last year.
Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the 6th Infantry Division based in Central Mindanao, said the recent bomb attacks could be the handiwork of Abu Toraifi, a leader of the Daesh-influenced faction of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
Officials said the bombings in Central Mindanao could be linked due to the similarities in the recovered fragments of the improvised explosive devices used in the blasts.
The BIFF split from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front sometime in 2010 as the peace process between the government and the MILF gained ground. Over the years, the BIFF had split into several factions itself, including the one led by Toraifi.
In the aftermath of the blasts in Central Mindanao, Police Director-General Oscar Albayalde announced that he has directed the mobilisation of all available police security forces in pursuit operations against persons responsible for the latest acts of terrorism.
“We assure the public of our keen resolve and commitment to bring before justice those responsible for this dastardly and vicious act. I have once again strongly directed our police units in the area to further intensify conduct of checkpoints, police visibility patrols, and focused intelligence and law enforcement operations in close coordination with the rest of the members of the security sector,” he said.
