January 3, 2003, The Philippine Star, Military tags MILF in New Year’s Eve Kudarat blast,

January 3, 2003, The Philippine Star, Military tags MILF in New Year’s Eve Kudarat blast, 

MANILA, P.S., 01/03/2003 The military blamed yesterday the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the New Year’s Eve bombing in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat that has so far left nine people dead and 35 others wounded. 

Lt. Col. Fredesvindo Covarrubias of the 4th Civil Relations Group in Zamboanga City made the accusation as police probers in Central Mindanao remained clueless on the deadly blast in a crowded Tacurong City plaza on Dec. 31. 

Covarrubias also tagged the MILF as responsible for the Christmas Eve bomb attack in Maguindanao, the Christmas Day ambush in Baliguian, Zamboanga del Norte and the Tacurong blast. 

“The MILF rebels are insistent in their denial even if evidence is enough to pinpoint them,” Covarrubias said. 
He claimed the MILF is not sincere in talking peace with the government and charged that the MILF always denies involvement in any bombing and blames such incidents on “lost commands,” or renegade units. 

“They continue to come out clean from the carnage, declaring them (suspects) as lost commands of the group,” Covarrubias said. 

But the Army’s 6th Division based in Cotabato said investigators are still trying to establish the facts of the Tacurong City bombing and did not rule out the possibility that business rivalry could be the motive.

The MILF, for its part, has denied involvement in the bombing although the military claims the MILF conducted the bombing because the rebel group was being blamed for the Dec. 24 explosion in Datu Piang, Maguindanao which left Mayor Saudi Ampatuan and 17 other people dead.

Sultan Kudarat police chief Superintendent Norberto Batislaong made the admission as Catholic radio station dxND in Kidapawan City reported that one of the 35 casualties who were seriously wounded in the explosion died while undergoing treatment in a hospital, raising the death toll to nine.

Batislaong, however, said probers are examining three possible angles on the bombing but declined to elaborate.

“We can’t reveal any critical information yet with regards to our effort to solve this case because we don’t want to jeopardize our effort to arrest the one really responsible for the bombing,” said Batislaong, who was named head of Task Force Talakudung which was formed to oversee the investigation of the case.

Batislaong said investigators have gathered fragments of the explosive which was used in the bombing and they are now being examined at the crime laboratory in General Santos City.

“We still cannot ascertain if the bombing was triggered by business rivalry, extortion or any other ill motive,” Batislaong said.

Col. Agustin Dema-ala, commander of the 301st Army Brigade based at Camp Siongco, Maguindanao, said they are also enlisting the help of Muslim and Christian religious leaders in towns surrounding Tacurong City to help investigators identify those behind the bombing.

“We are in the process of isolating and threshing out the most possible angle for the bombing from among different angles being considered,” Dema-ala said.

Part of the difficulty in the investigation, probers said, was because of the conflicting accounts of the explosion, according to Tacurong City police chief Inspector Jaime Guadilla.

Guadilla said one of those wounded in the blast testified that he saw a box explode in front of him and not a fragmentation grenade as supposed in the initial investigation.

Other wounded witnesses, on the other hand, said they saw a lone suspect casually approach them and toss a grenade at them.

Witnesses had said the suspect approached a crowd of about 100 New Year’s eve revelers at the plaza of Tacurong City before pulling out a grenade and throwing it at the crowd.

Some of the victims were holding group prayers at the plaza when the attack occurred around 7:20 p.m. 
Military probers said their initial investigation indicated the still unidentified perpetrator used a Mark II-type grenade.

Local police investigators initially said they were tracking down a vendor of powerful firecrackers who might have carried out the attack in retaliation for the confiscation of his goods.

Witnesses described the grenade-thrower as long-haired, clad in white shirt and denim pants. The suspect reportedly carried a side pouch.

Initial investigation showed the suspect initially posed as a buyer before taking out the hand grenade from his pocket and hurling it toward stalls, igniting the firecrackers being sold for the New Year celebration.

Police said the impact of the grenade explosion caused the secondary blast of the firecrackers, resulting in the carnage.

The bombing in Tacurong City, about 100 kilometers southwest from here, was the seventh explosion to hit Central Mindanao in a span of one week.