Bomb goes off outside Cagayan de Oro radio station

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A homemade bomb exploded beside the entrance of the Bombo Radyo station here early yesterday morning but no one was hurt, police said.

The bomb, placed on a fence at the entrance of radio station dxIF-Bombo Radyo on Corrales street, destroyed a billboard and created a small crater on the sidewalk, they said.

"This is just intended to scare the radio station," Cagayan de Oro police chief Felicisimo Kho Jr. told reporters, adding that the station was known for airing criticism of corrupt politicians, policemen and military officers.

Kho said the bomb was not likely to be linked to communist or Muslim separatist groups that are active in Mindanao. He did not say who might be behind the blast.

Jun Albino, manager of the radio station, said the bomb could have been planted because of heated rivalry with another radio station or the station’s coverage of controversial issues. — Lino de la Cruz