By MARTIN A. SADONGDONG
Two persons were killed while 12 others were wounded when another suspected improvised explosive device rocked Isulan, Sultan Kudarat Sunday.
The nighttime blast was the second in the town in less than one week.
Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde, who is in Brunei for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations chiefs of police conference, ordered the immediate relief of Sultan Kudarat police director Senior Supt. Noel Kinazo and Isulan chief of police Supt. Celestino Daniel.
PNP spokesperson, Senior Supt. Benigno Durana, in a press briefing in Camp Crame in Quezon City yesterday, said the IED was detonated inside a computer shop in Barangay Kalawag 2 at around 7:20 p.m., killing two teenagers, John Mark and Marialyn Luda, aged 18 and 15, respectively, and injuring 12 others.
Five persons were taken to the Sultan Kudarat Provincial General Hospital, four to the Holy Nazarene Hospital, two to the Specialist Hospital, and one at Galinato Hospital, Socsargen police spokesperson, Chief Insp. Aldrin Gonzales said.
“The PNP is mobilizing all available security forces in pursuit operations against persons responsible for the latest act of terrorism in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat even as we extend our symphaties to the family of the fatalities in the explosion incident,” Durana said.
The first IED attack happened in Barangay Kalawag 3 during the Hamungaya (bountiful harvest) Festival last Aug. Two persons were killed while 36 others were wounded.
Durana said investigators have yet to determine whether or not the two bomb attacks in Isulan are related. However, he confirmed that the latest incident has already been considered as a “terror attack.”
“Based on initial investigation, some elements of the modus operandi are the same. The IED was planted where a lot of people converge so previously near an “ukay ukay” (used clothes store) and now inside an Internet cafe. We were told by our people in Sultan Kudarat that the second attack happened near the place where the first incident happened,” he said.
“It was apparently designed to maim and kill a lot of people, sow fear and chaos in that part of Mindanao. That’s the handiwork of a terrorist group,” he added.
With the second bomb attack, Durana is convinced that there are still security lapses in the security system in the province that prompted the relief of Kinazo and Daniel.
“The PNP decided to change players to make way for an impartial investigation and to see why are there still gaps even after. Obviously, we should have doubled if not tripled our efforts to install security measures to prevent similar incidents from happening. Unfortunately, we found out there are still security lapses at this point,” he explained.
