ZAMBOANGA CITY, 13 May 2004 — A huge bomb explosion yesterday killed a Muslim woman and wounded at least 10, many seriously, near a major military base in the southern island of Jolo, officials said.

The attack near the base occurred despite a tight security since Monday as the Filipinos went to the polls to elect their next set of national and local officials.

“An innocent woman was killed and 10 others were wounded in the bomb explosion. We still don’t know who was behind this terrorism, we are investigating,” army Lt. Jainal Abdulgani told Arab News.

Soldiers were spotted sifting through debris for clues on what type of explosive was used in the attack.

The blast in the busy village of Busbus, just several blocks from the army’s 104th Infantry Brigade headquarters, left a crater about a meter wide.

An army explosives expert, Sgt. Rey Pefania, said the bomb was probably made from chemical explosives. “All I can say is that this type of bomb is a high-order type. It’s very powerful,” he said in a separate interview.

He said the bomb was left on a roadside where civilians and military vehicles frequently pass.

Those who survived the attack were rushed to the hospital. One victim, 12-year old girl Jacky Chang, told her father the earth shook because of the blast.

“It was a huge explosion and I saw people, all bloodied and lying there on the road,” she told a police investigator.

It was not clear who or what caused the explosion.

In Marawi City in mainland Mindanao, one person was killed and seven others were wounded when Marine soldiers opened fired at a crowd milling inside the campus of the Mindanao State University late Tuesday night, witnesses said.

Brig. Gene.Francisco Gudani, commander of the local Marine contingent, said his men were forced to return fire when they were shot at. The shooting occurred just outside the MSU gymnasium where election results were being canvassed.

A witness said he was among the hundreds of people waiting for the initial results of the canvassing of election returns from Lanao del Sur when Marine soldiers suddenly open fired.

“It was an unprovoked attack. We were peacefully gathered outside the MSU campus,” said another witness.

All of the injuries were caused by gunshot wounds, another witness said.

Police authorities said they were still investigating the case.

In Iloilo A 14-year-old boy was wounded during a grenade explosion near the town hall of San Enrique, Iloilo around 1 p.m. yesterday.

San Enrique is one of 22 election “areas of concern” in Iloilo province.

There is intense rivalry between incumbent Mayor Zafiro Palabrica and former Iloilo Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president Trixie Fernandez-Tupaz for the mayoralty position.

Ballot Snatching

In the north, two unidentified gunmen snatched two ballot boxes in the town of Tubao in La Union province, 210 kilometers north of Manila, on Tuesday, military spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero said.

Local police were able to recover a small box containing election returns believed to have been discarded from the snatched ballot boxes.

In Kalinga, 11 ballot boxes were snatched in the town of Tinglayan as they were being transferred from the polling places to the municipal hall, Lucero added.

On Tuesday evening, eight armed men attacked the municipal hall of San Mariano town in Isabela province.

“Three members of the armed group went inside the town council’s session hall where the ballots were being kept and burned the ballots,” Lucero said. “The group also carted away at least 10 ballot boxes.”

Several election returns were also burned in the nearby town of Jones an hour later, he added.

While calling for vigilance as the votes were being counted, Arroyo urged the public to “get back to business.”

The military said 117 people have been killed in various election-related violence since December.

In the southern province of Lanao del Sur, unidentified men torched at least 60 houses yesterday in three villages in the town Malabang, police said.

No one was hurt in the attack, which was believed to be related to Monday’s elections.

“The political rivalry in Malabang is very tense, particularly during this time that the results of the votation is becoming clear,” said Inspector Randal Bueno, the town’s police chief.

Bueno said marines have been dispatched to help police secure other villages which the arsonists might also attack. (Additional input from agencies)