MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it was “possible” that the bombing incident in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat was an act of terrorism despite some accounts pointing it to extortion-related attack.
PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac on Monday said their investigation of the incident – which claimed eight lives – is still ongoing.
“Patuloy nating iniimbestigahan kasi ang ginamit dito ay improvised explosive device,” Banac said.
“Kapag mga ganitong insidente, kailangan nating matukoy sino ang may gawa, maaaring ito ay binili nila sa isang grupo na may kaugnayan sa mga terrorist. Ganoon ang direksyon ng ating imbestigasyon pero mas nakikita natin na ito ay kuwan lang, extortion,” he added.
Banac assured that the police, with the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), intensified its security measures in the area.
“Lalong pinaigting ng PNP ang intelligence monitoring, of course ang security… katuwang natin ang AFP diyan upang lalo pang mapataas ang security awareness ng ating mga kababayan,” Banac said.
“Ito ay mga kaganapan lamang sa Western Mindanao at walang dapat ikabahala ang ating mga kababayan dito sa bahagi ng Luzon o Visayas, contained naman ang threat doon sa bahagi ng Western Mindanao,” he added.
Lieutenant Colonel Joven Bagaygay, chief of the Isulan police, earlier said the suspect – who left the explosive device in front of a bakery – was a man who had disguised as a woman, based on closed-circuit television footage.
He added the suspect could also be a member of the same group that recently threatened to bomb the town if the local government would refuse to pay extortion money worth P250,000 monthly./PN
