North Cotabato cops still clueless on motive behind grenade attack

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines - Investigators are still clueless on Friday night’s grenade attack that injured five in Matalam town in North Cotabato, the fourth in the province in just three weeks.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza, presiding chair of the inter-agency provincial peace and order council, on Saturday directed local officials in Matalam to help the police identify and file criminal charges against the culprits.

Five people, Macmod Kanakan, Dandan Alam, Datu Dilangalen, Gerardo Peralta, Jr. and Sharon Diaz, were injured in the blast.

Local police probers had told reporters two men riding a motorcycle together perpetrated the bombing.

One of the two suspects tossed the grenade at a tricycle carrying the victims and sped away as the explosive went off.

Chief Insp. Sonny Leoncito of the Matalam municipal police said investigators are still trying to establish the exact motive for the grenade attack.

Kanakan, the wounded tricycle driver, said he first noticed two motorcycles, each carrying two men, trailing behind while he was on his way to the spot where he picked his passengers up.

Friday night’s incident in Matalam was preceded by three grenade explosions, in a span of ten days, in nearby Kabacan town also in North Cotabato.

Six Kabacan residents, among them a 4-year-old child, were hurt in the attacks.   

Senior Supt. Alex Tagum, director of the North Cotabato provincial police, said investigators are still validating the possibility that Kabacan grenade attacks were related to Friday night’s bombing in Matalam.

“But we are also not discounting other possible angles. Let us give investigators enough time to do their mission of getting into the bottom of these incidents,” Tagum said.