Cop’s kin target of chapel bombing

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines – Relatives of a police officer were believed to be the target in last Wednesday’s attack on a chapel in Pikit town, which left two persons dead and three others wounded.

Two of the three wounded victims – Jeremias Dandan and his son Gerome – are relatives of Senior Inspector Elias Dandan, former police chief of Pikit.

The victims were attending a prayer meeting at a chapel of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines, when a grenade exploded.

Dandan, a multi-awarded police officer, was responsible for the neutralization of several crime gangs when he was Pikit’s police chief.

He was reassigned to another town more than a year ago.

Dandan helped recapture fugitive Datukan Samad, alias Commander Lastikman, who was facing kidnapping, extortion and gun theft charges.

Samad was first arrested in Cotabato City last year, but was able to escape along with eight other inmates of the Maguindanao provincial jail.

Senior Inspector Mautin Pangandigan, chief of the Pikit police, said investigators were collecting information from people who were in the chapel when the incident occurred.