Army: Explosion in Maguindanao town caused by firecrackers, not bomb

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - The military on Tuesday refuted news reports purporting that a bomb exploded in Shariff Aguak town in the province Monday morning and triggered panic among local folks.

Captain Joan Petinglay, spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the reports found print on websites of at least two Manila-based news outfits and several local media outlets.

“What we learned from our units in Shariff Aguak and our intelligence operatives based in the municipality was that there was a series of loud firecracker blasts in the morning of Monday there, but no bombing incident whatsoever,” Petinglay said.

Petinglay said the Army’s mechanized units in Shariff Aguak and nearby towns have all denied the reported bomb explosion in the area.

She said the firecracker explosions did not cause panic among local residents either.

She said the security situation in Shariff Aguak has been normal despite threats of harassments by the brigand Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

The BIFF does not recognize the July 1997 Agreement on General Cessation of Hostilities between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.