PNP creates ‘STIG’ to probe S. Cotabato bus blast
A PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) has been created to spearhead the probe of a bus bombing in Koronadal City in South Cotabato, which injured three persons, PNP Officer-in-Charge (PNP-OIC) Lieutenant General Vicente D. Danao Jr. said on Saturday.
At the same time, the top cop asked the public to maintain their vigilance and immediately report to the nearest police station any suspicious activities or unattended bags or packages in their areas.
“Rest assured, your PNP is on full alert. Now is also the time for the public to be extra vigilant and report immediately any suspicious individuals or activities in their area,” Lt. Gen. Danao said.
The official said he is constantly communicating with Police Regional Office 12 (PRO12) Director Brigadier Gen. Alexander C. Tagum, whose men investigate the bus bombing along Gensan Drive in Barangay Zone 3 in Koronadal City.
Tagum said an improvised explosive device (IED) went off inside the Yellow Bus Line bus unit traveling along the national highway in Koronadal City around 12:20 p.m. Thursday, injuring at least three persons: two were bus passengers and a third, the driver of a tricycle trailing the bus.
The PRO12 director said that their initial investigation showed that the bus was traveling along the stretch of Gensan Drive when placed at the vehicle’s backseat exploded, showering the victims with shrapnel.
Members of the Koronadal City Police Station and the South Cotabato Police Provincial Office immediately rushed to the site and cordoned off the bus as forensic investigators sifted for clues that will lead them to the identification of the suspect and the type of the IED used, said Tagum.
The official said they are looking into several possible motives behind the explosion, including extortion.
Following the incident, the PRO12 stepped-up its security measures in the region, with police securing all vital installations, including points of convergence like bus and jeepney terminals and piers. By Alfred Dalizon
