Followers of a losing bet eyed in Kabacan blast

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  --- The alleged followers of a defeated candidate blasted a 40 MM shoulder-fire grenade at a commercial spot in Kabacan town in North Cotabato Sunday night, the fourth bombing in the area since the campaign period began.

Supt. Leo Ajero, chief of the Kabacan municipal police, said the explosive projectile, apparently fired from a dark spot, landed and went off in front of an agricultural supply outlet along a busy street.

The scene of the explosion is not far from campus of the state-run University of Southern Mindanao.

No one was reported killed or injured in the explosion, but the incident triggered panic in the town proper of Kabacan.

Ajero said investigators are convinced followers of a defeated candidate for a local position could be responsible for the attack.

The incident came less than a week after a seven-month infant was killed and a 30-year-old mother was injured in a grenade attack at a residential area in Kabacan, perpetrated by two men riding a motorcycle together.

Preceding the incident were three separate bombings in different areas in the same municipality.