COTABATO CITY, Philippines—Business groups here, which organized Friday’s "close-shop protest" against a new wave of terrorist bombings sweeping through parts of Mindanao, said they did not mean to embarrass the city government and that their action was not an act of economic sabotage.

For the whole day Friday, the city became a virtual ghost town with business establishments and schools closed.

Even roadside eatery owners and medical clinics participated in the protest.

Oscar Tan Abing, president of the Cotabato Grocers Association, said the decision to close shop for a day was the consensus among businessmen.

Dr. Johnny Rabago, adviser for Mindanao of the Philippine Medical Association, said private clinics and hospitals also participated in the sense that only emergency cases were being admitted or treated.

"The emergency room will remain open 24/7," Rabago told the Inquirer.

The protest was an act of condemnation for Sunday's bomb attack near the Immaculate Cathedral here, which killed six persons and wounded more than 50 others; and similar attacks in Iligan City and Jolo town in Sulu.

"It was an expression of condemnation and was not meant to ridicule the local government. Please, don't take this as an offense. By this way, we hope to help get more resources to strengthen the security of the city," said Yu Beng Chua, president of the Cotabato Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Earlier, Mayor Muslimin Sema sounded irritated when he told Radio dxMS he did not care if the businessmen shut down their establishments.

"They want to close shop, go ahead," he said.

Fr. Eduardo Tanudtanod, president of the Notre Dame University, said the day-long action was "not an economic sabotage, but a sacrifice to show solidarity with the victims."

He said this was the people's way of showing their desire "to end hostilities, where most of the victims were the young, students and the innocents."

The investigation into the July 5 explosion went back to square one after the persons taken in for questioning turned out to be innocent, according to the police. The two have since been released.

Senior Supt. Willie Dangane, Cotabato police director, said in due time the identity of the perpetrators will be known.

He said the National Bureau of Investigation was already preparing a sketch of a suspect, based on the images captured by a closed-circuit TV camera mounted near the blast scene.

"With the suspect's face drawn in paper and made public, it would be easy to uncover his identity," Dangane said.

The city government has allotted P1 million as reward for the arrest of the suspect.

In a pastoral statement read by a local priest during the "Mass of Mourning and for Peace" held at the cathedral, Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo urged authorities to expedite the resolution of the bombings here.

"I urgently appeal to all our authorities, local, regional and national to expedite the identification, arrest and detention of the perpetrators. I ask for the full force of the law to be applied," said Quevedo, a former president of Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

"I also pray that such murderers would return to their right conscience and turn away from such crimes," added Quevedo, who was away, attending the annual bishops' conference in Tagaytay City.

In various Mosques around the city, Ulama (Muslim religious preachers), also read statements condemning the bombing and terrorism, according to Ustadz Mike Ibrahim, president of the National Ulama Conference of the Philippines.

The condemnation from both Christian and Muslim sectors here was expected, according to Tanudtanod.
"Our concern is the safety of everybody, we have to jointly act because bombs do not choose their targets," said Tanudtanod, the Notre Dame University president.

Quevedo appealed to the public to refrain from making "unfounded speculations to gain political and ideological leverage."

"Exploiting the tragedy and the grief of families whose members were victims of horrendous crimes is certainly insensitive and irresponsible," he said of reports indicating that the bombings could be an off-shoot of Muslim-Christian conflict.

In Jolo, Sulu, families of the victims of Tuesday's explosion also asked authorities to fast-track the identification and arrest of the suspects.

The province's political leaders also demanded an independent investigation into the bombing, which killed two people and wounded 27 others.

"We call on the National Bureau of Investigation and other investigating bodies to help fast-track the investigation and put an end to these terroristic activities and senseless loss of human lives," Sulu Representatives Yusop Jikiri and Munir Arbison said in a joint statement, which was also signed by several mayors.

In Iligan City, the man seen on a CCTV camera carrying a box shortly before Tuesday's explosion that injured nine people went to the NBI to clear his name.

Eric Destor, NBI Iligan office chief, said Ysmael Hapi Jr. of Suarez Village, said he is an ambulant vendor and the box he was carrying contained his wares.

"My neighbors told me I was the man on TV. So I came forward to clear my name," Destor quoted the Hapi as saying.