Police foil plot to bomb town fiesta in Cotabato

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines  – A mayor reported yesterday that police foiled a plot to bomb the anniversary festivity of this town after they recovered a powerful explosive at the height of the celebration.

Tantangan Mayor Arnold Garingo said police operatives discovered Thursday afternoon a powerful fragmentation grenade inside a tricycle, which was parked at the middle of the town’s mini-park.

“Nakalagay ang fragmentation grenade sa loob ng isang tricycle. Sabi ng mga police, katabi ng grenade ay isang nakasinding katol (mosquito coil) at napapalibutan ng maraming mga posporo,” Garingo said. 

Garingo, together with other town officials, was reportedly sitting on a table, which was a few meters away from the tricycle where the explosive was found. 

The mayor suspected that the explosive was supposedly intended for a planned attack to bomb the Thursday culmination of Tantangan’s 50th foundation day, which was highlighted by the holding of the “Kulingtangtang Festival.” 

Garingo said that prior to the discovery of the explosive, he received a bomb threat through his cellular phone from an unidentified sender. He was threatening me that there would be an explosion on the last day of our fiesta celebration,” said Garingo, who added that he immediately reported the threat to his chief of police for necessary preventive measures.

South Cotabato police director Senior Superintendent Nilo Wong said the Tantangan police is now interrogating a certain “Robert,’ allegedly the driver of the tricycle where the explosive was found.