BY RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS
ILOILO – Two individuals on motorcycles videoed by surveillance cameras are persons of interest in a grenade blast in the municipality of Dingle.
On Oct. 3, around 12:05 a.m., a grenade detonated beside the road. The explosion shattered the town library’s glass windows, damaged a parked fire truck’s wheels, and sprayed shrapnel onto three nearby rescue boats.
The police’s Explosive and Ordnance Disposal Unit later found components consistent with an M26 hand grenade at the scene.
A member of the Bureau of Fire and Protection told Panay News the intensity of the explosion was comparable to experiencing an earthquake.
Colonel Ronaldo Palomo, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director, suspects the attack may be a result of personal grievances against the Dingle Municipal Police Station (MPS) due to their increased checkpoint activities.
“We believe the motive is personal grudge against our police force, particularly due to our ongoing checkpoint operations and actions against those violating municipal ordinances. The library was simply an incidental location,” said Palomo.
Dingle MPS chief, Police Captain Aileen Lacrite, said the incident was isolated and unrelated to the upcoming elections.
“With our consistent checkpoint operations, we issue at least 10 violations daily,” said Lacrite.
Both the IPPO and Dingle MPS have initiated an intensive pursuit of the suspects./PN
