Guard hurt in Zamboanga bus explosion

ZAMBOANGA CITY — A homemade bomb placed in a biscuit can exploded inside a passenger bus parked at a terminal here yesterday, wounding a security guard, police reported.

Police said a second bomb, also placed in a biscuit can, was found on another bus and was safely detonated minutes after the first explosion in another part of the city.

No person or group has claimed responsibility for the two bombs and police have yet to establish the motive for the blast, said Chief Inspector Jose Bayani Gucela, head of the Zamboanga City police bomb squad.

The first bomb was found near the driver’s seat of Mary May Express bus company’s Bus No. 951, which had just arrived at the Barangay Guiwan bus terminal from Dipolog City at around 8 a.m., Gucela said.

Witnesses said two un-identified men alighted from the bus a few moments before it pulled up at the terminal.

Gucela said the bomb was found by scavenger Gilbert Alpa, 14, who was searching for leftover food and possible valuables inside the 60-seater bus, which had just unloaded 29 passengers at the terminal.

"After I saw the biscuit can, I thought I had hit a jackpot for the day. But when I opened it, I discovered it had wires so I ran and shouted that there was a bomb," Alpa told investigators.

Responding to the boy’s cry, terminal security guard Cesar Caberto, 52, of the Ribusa Security Agency boarded the bus to inspect the bomb.

A witness, Boy Sabanal, said the bomb exploded moments after Caberto entered the bus’ rear passenger door. The guard, who was rushed to the Zamboanga City Medical Center, suffered shrapnel wounds in different parts of his body and a fractured leg.

Radio reports of the explosion at the bus terminal alerted the driver and inspector of Mary May Express’ Bus No. 782, which was on a breakfast stopover in Barangay Curuan, 60 kilometers from Barangay Guiwan.

The second bomb was found inside a round can left in the overhead compartment of the bus. Police were immediately dispatched by helicopter to the site, where they safely detonated the bomb.

It was the first bombing attempt in the city since un-identified men on Feb. 16 hurled a grenade inside a movie house at the Mindpro Citimall, along La Purisima street, wounding four people.

On Oct. 28 last year, at least 11 people were killed while another 20 were seriously wounded when a powerful bomb exploded at a busy barbecue grill in the plaza of the Zamboanga Puericulture Center, also on Purisima street.