Blasts rock Kidapawan, Koronadal

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao — Two grenade explosions rocked the Central Mindanao cities of Kidapawan and Koronadal yesterday, leaving three people badly wounded and triggering panic among local residents.

Reports reaching the command headquarters of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division here said two workers of a gasoline station in Koronadal City, Mansueto Sanchez and Junifer Degala, sustained shrapnel wounds when a Mark II fragmentation grenade was tossed at the fuel outlet.

Police investigators suspect that a big extortion ring could have pulled off the grenade attack to intimidate the owner of the gasoline station into shelling out regular protection money.

Preceding the incident was another grenade blast along a busy thoroughfare in Kidapawan City that left a member of the city government’s civil security group, a certain Wilfredo Eron, seriously wounded.

Police said Eron might have accidentally triggered the explosion of the grenade, which he had kept in his pocket.

The blast severed Eron’s right arm, police said. He was reported to be fighting for his life due to severe shrapnel wounds all over his body.

Police are investigating why Eron had the fragmentation grenade in his possession despite his being an ordinary watchman of the city government. — John Unson