By Ali Macabalang
COTABATO CITY - The city mayor here has sought an in-depth probe into a “foiled bombing” in one of barangays here where the recent Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections were highly contested.
bomb (photo from flickr)
Mayor Frances Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi has asked expert probers from the police, military and other security agencies to look into the “deeper” implication of the reported discovery of an improvised explosive device (IED) on May 11, three days before the BSKE voting, at barangay Kalanganan II here.
According to her, since Barangay Kalanganan II has been notorious for being one of the perennial election hotspots in the city with numerous records of violent incidents in past political exercises, police elements had to act as board of election tellers, vice teachers who refused to report for the job for fear of their lives.
Citing an initial investigation, the lady mayor said a live IED was discovered at the barangay by a responding police ordnance team, following a tip from a person claiming to be privy to an alleged plan to sow havoc during a grand rally of BSKE candidates in the village.
“The person, whose name the police refused to disclose, is now under the custody of the PNP,” Sayadi said.
In a statement sent to media outlets Friday, Sayadi also revealed that a certain Bong Macasasa of the locally wanted KITAB group has allegedly been hiding in Barangay Kalanganan II at the behest of a “powerful politician.”
“This should really be looked into as someone might be cuddling (Macasasa) that is why he has become very elusive (from) the authorities”, the mayor added.
Sayadi, then a city administrator, survived a road blast in this city on Aug. 5, 2013 where six people, including two of her escorts, were killed and 29, mostly bystanders and commuters, were hurt.