Police mobilizes as blast sends jitters

By LITO RULONA, NITZ ARANCON and NICOLE MANAGBANAG
Correspondents

POLICE stepped up security measures in the region as a result of Wednesday night’s grenade attack at the Rizal Park in Iligan City, an act considered by authorities as a possible terrorist attack.

Police director for northern Mindanao Chief Supt. Noel Constantino created a special investigation task group headed by Iligan police director Senior Supt. Leony Roy Ga to look into the 6:45 pm explosion that hurt at least four bystanders at the city public plaza in downtown Iligan.

The attack sent jitters across northern Mindanao, including Cagayan de Oro where a powerful explosion killed six people and hurt some 28 others over three years ago.

Yesterday, Cagayan de Oro police director Senior Supt. Ronnie Francis Cariaga fielded officers to guard entrance and exit points of the city.

Cariaga also alerted all police stations and special units under the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo), and directed them to keep an eye on crowded areas here, saying he suspected that the Wednesday grenade attack in neighboring Iligan was the handiwork of terrorists.

He ordered checkpoints set up in barangays Iponan, Lumbia and Puerto.

Chief Supt. Constantino directed Ga to determine the motive for the attack, and identify and bring suspects to justice.

Ga said at least one witness has come forward and was helping investigators. He said the witness said that the assailant was a man with a black bonnet-like head gear and who wore a jacket.

He said the suspect ran off towards Saray following the explosion.

Investigators found the safety lever of the grenade near the blast site.

Police said investigators would examine closed-circuit television camera recordings in the hope of identifying suspects.

There were plenty of people seated on the edges of the plaza at the time of the explosion. There were also people playing chess on one stage.

There were suspicions that the assailant had planned to explode the grenade near a group of men playing chess but he missed his target because trees served as obstructions. The grenade exploded near bystanders on Aguinaldo St.

Camp Alagar spokesman Supt.  Surki  Sereñas said the explosion did not cause serious injuries and damages but it impacted on Iligan’s peace and order and alarmed the public especially in the region.

Police said the explosion hurt Laureto Carabantes Alla Jr., 26, Cristine Perocho Mercaderos, 20, Cherryl Matugas Paquit, 26, and Shielamae Asibal Maagad, 23. All are from Iligan.

Iligan city hall spokesman Jose Pantoja said the victims were rushed to a hospital. He said they were out of danger.

Sereñas said the police and military were closely working with each other, and have beefed up intelligence gathering operations.

He said authorities were trying to find out if it was really a terrorist attack or if the assailant’s target was a person or an establishment in the area.

“The possibility that it could also be a  terror attack is not being  ruled out,” Sereñas said.

Sereñas said it was possible that the grenade attack was related to the military offensives against the Maute terrorist group in Butig town, Lanao del Sur. (with reports from nora sorino, sita asequia and nene lachica)