Explosion mars Shariff Kabunsuan Festival in Cotabato City

COTABATO CITY – A powerful improvised explosive device went off Monday night here as the city celebrated the Shariff Kabunsuan Festival, police and military authorities said.

A police official identified only as Superintendent Reyes said investigators suspected it had something to do with the celebration or the change of leadership of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Miindanao.

In August, two IEDs also went off along a road leading to the ARMM complex where a public forum for aspirants of the OIC post was being held.

The OICs were being chosen then as the term of all elected regional officials had expired but elections were not held as scheduled on August 16 after Congress reset it to 2013.

The law resetting the elections was still being questioned before the Supreme Court.

“We are looking at all the angles in these incidents,” he said.

Former Anakbayan partylist Representative Mujib Hataman, appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as OIC-governor, will assume office on Thursday.