ZAMBOANGA CITY, 15 September 2003 — A homemade bomb exploded yesterday outside a Roman Catholic church in the southern Philippines, wounding one police officer, a military spokesman said.
The explosive, fashioned out of a 60mm mortar bomb, exploded outside the church in Parang town in Maguindanao province at around 6.45 a.m., said Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero. Pieces of a radio set were recovered from the blast site, leading investigators to believe the explosion was triggered by remote control, he said.
He said the police officer, a bodyguard of Parang mayor Vivecio Bataga, was wounded in the attack.
One of three mortar rounds wired to timers and placed along a concrete sidewalk exploded as Bataga, his wife and police escorts walked nearby to attend mass at the church, Bataga and other officials said.
The bodyguard, who moved to shield Bataga’s wife moments before the explosion was injured, the mayor said. The two other bombs did not explode.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Bataga, a tough-talking former army officer, said the attackers may have been political rivals or members of syndicates opposing his anti-drug campaign in Parang, a predominantly Muslim coastal town about 830 kilometers south of Manila.
Two weeks ago, unidentified men fired a rocket-propelled grenade that missed Bataga’s vehicle as he was being driven home. Two bystanders were injured. In April, a bomb exploded while he was in the public market. Nobody was injured.
Aside from fighting drug dealers, Bataga is also a vocal critic of Muslim separatist guerrillas active in Parang.
