Thirty two persons were injured when a suspected improvised explosive device exploded while they were watching an amateur boxing competition in Hilongos, Leyte as part of its annual fiesta celebration Wednesday, police and other officials said yesterday.
Nobody was killed in the incident, officials said.
Sixteen of the wounded were admitted to various hospitals while 16 others went home after treatment of their injuries from the explosion, said Senior Insp. Jenyzen Enciso, Leyte police spokesperson.
Leyte police director Supt. Franco Simborio said it was the fourth boxing bout when the IED exploded at around 9 p.m. in the crowded Plaza Rizal in Barangay Central that was packed with about 500 people and was just across the municipal hall and local police station.
Simborio believed that the bombing could be an act of retaliation from an arrested drug suspect.
He disclosed that an improvised 81-mm mortar was used in the second explosion but was in “low order” or did not completely explode.
“The two bombs used had a strong magnitude that may have killed a lot of people when exploded at the same time,” said Simborio who was at the crime scene a few hours after the incident.
Hilongos Mayor Alberto Villahermosa recalled in a phone interview that the second bomb exploded 30 seconds after the first blast.
“We didn’t expect this. There was no bomb threat prior to this incident. We were caught by surprise when this happened since we are a peace loving town,” Villahermosa said.
The mayor believes that this could be retaliation of their campaign against criminality, resulting to the arrest of Muslims involved in car theft, illegal drugs, and production of fake money.
“I’m not blaming Muslim residents in our town as suspect in the bombing, but we’re looking at all possibilities,” the mayor added.
Most of the victims were confined at the Hilongos District Hospital and Leyte Baptist Hospital. At least four victims were referred to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City and one to the Living Hope Hospital in Maasin City in Southern Leyte.
Most of the victims suffered foot injuries. At least 46 Department of Health doctors and medical volunteers from nearby towns rushed to Hilongos town to assist the victims.
Antonina Ruiz Dapile, local chief doctor, said the 25-bed capacity Hilongos District Hospital has accommodated 40 patients after the blast.
Among the victims is Domingo Liba, 60, who said that he must have been dead had the second bomb exploded. Following the first blast, he carried his wounded son who suffered left leg bone injury.
The son is now at EVRMC.
Four of his family members – three children and a grandchild – were wounded.
Also hurt was Jesyl Managbanag, 26, who is five months pregnant and is being treated at the local hospital due to minor injuries. Her baby is safe.
Police are reviewing the recorded CCTV footage for possible identification of the suspects. Follow up investigation led by the Philippine National Police is still ongoing.
“The police are leading the investigation on the incident. The military also has no information on the possible motive and the suspects behind it but we are in full support to the PNP investigation,” Col. Benjamin Hao, Philippine Army spokesman, said.
“The PNP, the intelligence community are currently gathering information on the incident,” he added.
Hao said they are not discounting the possibility that the Maute Group, tagged in the Davao City night market blast last September 2 in which 15 persons were killed while 71 others were injured, is behind the attack.
“According to our sources, pinag-aaralan pa nila,” Hao said. “They are looking at all possible angles.” Armed Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla asked the public to be on alert, stay vigilant, and cooperate with security forces to ensure that “we keep our communities safe from whatever threats there are that are intended to destroy the peace and stability.”
“Thank God there were no reported fatalities,” he said.
Hilongos town is about 152 kilometers south of Tacloban City, the regional capital. It is a second class town in Leyte with regular daily ferry trips to Cebu and Bohol.
(With reports from PNA and AP) (FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD • AARON B. RECUENCO • NESTOR L. ABREMATEA • RESTITUTO CAYUBIT)