MANILA, Philippines – At least 200 policemen were deployed to Iligan City, one of several areas in Mindanao hit by explosions that killed six and injured over 50 people Tuesday.

The additional men came as police in the Northern Mindanao region were finalizing the artist sketch of the lone suspect believed to be responsible for placing the bomb that exploded near the Iligan City pier Tuesday morning that left 16 people injured, a police official said over the phone.

Chief Superintendent Danilo Empedrad said that based on witness accounts, the suspect had a small built and a big belly.

He said they were finalizing the details of the artist sketch, which they would release soon.

Empedrad said they have also activated a task force to probe the blast and have deployed some 200 additional forces as part of its intensified security operations.

An additional 100 civilian volunteers and 100 personnel from the Regional Mobile Group have been deployed to transport terminals and places of public convergence to ensure the security of the public.

Empedrad noted that unlike past incidents of bombing in the city, the explosion on Tuesday occurred in an area where there were less people.

“Dinadaan-daanan lang ito, hindi siya matao,” he said.

When asked the reason behind this, Empedrad said, “It’s possible that they were pre-empted in other areas so they decided to do the bombing there.”

While not directly pin-pointing the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as those responsible for the attack, Empedrad said that the usual threat from the city was from lawless elements of the MILF, especially after the botched Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

He added that police were still deliberating if a reward would be released for the arrest of the suspect.

As of posting time, only three of the 16 victims remain confined in the hospital.