Palace condemns fatal Basilan blast

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 12:11 p.m.) — Malacañang on Tuesday condemned the explosion near a military checkpoint in Lamitan City in Basilan, which killed at least 10 individuals.

An improvised bomb inside a white van exploded near a Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit detachment early Tuesday. A child and a woman were among the casualties.

At least five were hurt in the blast.

In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. called the explosion a “brazen attack.”

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the latest terrorist attack in Basilan perpetrated in violation of our laws,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said.

He vowed that the authorities would bring the perpetrators to justice.

The military believes that the Abu Sayyaf Group was responsible for the attack.

In an interview on ANC, Lt. Col. Mon Almodovar, 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion commander, said that they are still verifying reports if there was a foreigner involved and if it was done by a suicide bomber.

“We are not sure if it’s really a suicide bomber. However, we have reports there were plans to conduct IED bombings in the area so we heightened security alert around the city,” Almodovar said.

He added: “The incident happened when our troops stopped that van containing suspected IEDs. This is the first time we encountered an IED in a four-wheel.”

Basilan, a province in Mindanao, is a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf group.

Local government condemns blast

The city government of Lamitan has offered a cash incentive for information leading to the arrest of people responsible for the bomb attack.

Lamitan City Vice Mayor Roderick Furigay said they are ready to give informants the reward once the culprits are arrested.

Lamitan City is the capital of Basilan, a component province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Furigay and the governor of ARMM, Mujiv Hataman, had separately condemned the bombing.

“The biggest part of the vehicle found at the scene was its engine crankshaft. It was virtually ripped into pieces and the blast left a crater on the road where the CAFGU men flagged it down,” Furigay also said.

Hataman, chairman of the ARMM inter-agency peace and order council, said the Western Mindanao Command and the regional police are now jointly investigating on the incident. — The STAR/John Unson