34 hurt Five dead in Philippine church bombing

Sunday, July 5, 2009 at 8:53 pm

34 hurt Five dead in Philippine church bombing COTABATO, Philippines: Five people were killed and at least 34 wounded in a suspected Muslim rebel bomb attack outside a Catholic church in the strife-torn southern Philippines on Sunday, officials said.

A lone suspect left a home-made device outside the Immaculate Conception cathedral in Cotabato city which exploded just as the congregation was leaving early morning mass, officials said.

The church was not heavily damaged as a restaurant across the street appeared to have absorbed much of the impact, witnesses said. Ordnance experts searched for clues among blood-spattered debris on the road outside the church.

Police said four people, including two soldiers, were killed at the scene, while another died of his injuries in hospital.

Many of the wounded were women and children, according to Froi Cordero, a priest who helped bring the casualties to hospital.

President Gloria Arroyo directed security forces “to get to the bottom of the blast, arrest those responsible as soon as possible” and ensure security in the city of about 200,000, her spokesman Cerge Remonde said.

Arroyo’s chief adviser for the south, Jesus Dureza, described the bombing as “an act of terrorism” and a “murderous act of insanity”.

“I condemn this incident that attacked innocent civilians,” Sema said.

City police chief Superintendent Willie Dangane said no one had claimed responsibility for the attack but confirmed that the suspected bomber was arrested as he tried to bring another device into the church.

Regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce was quick to blame the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the blast.

“The special operations group of the MILF is behind this,” Ponce said, adding that the MILF had carried out similar attacks in recent weeks.

He said a bomb also allegedly planted by MILF rebels exploded in the nearby town of Datu Piang late Saturday, wounding three people.