Blast rocks Lanao mayoral bet’s Manila house

MANILA, Philippines - A grenade was lobbed by one of several unidentified men at the house of a Lanao del Sur mayoral bet in Manila before dawn yesterday.

The explosion damaged the garage of businessman Baswali Alawiya, 40, in San Andres Bukid, Manila Police District officer-in-charge Senior Superintendent Robert Po told The STAR.

Alawiya is in Lanao del Sur wrapping up his campaign to be mayor of Malundo town, according to the house’s caretaker, Asraf Mugni. Alawiya is running under the United Nationalist Alliance.

Po said no one was hurt in the explosion, which awakened the members of Alawiya’s household at around 4 a.m. Mugni said they did not see the persons responsible for the blast.