Police downplays blast in Lamitan City, Basilan that shook residents on Wednesday
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur – Police authorities had downplayed the blast on Wednesday night in Lamitan City, Basilan, saying it came from low quality explosives and was the handiwork of errant minors.
Lamitan residents were shaken when they heard a loud explosion on Wednesday night at around 9:20 p.m.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Arlan Delumpines, the city police director, said the explosion took place along Aguinaldo Street in Sitio Darussalam, Matibay village, near a copra and rubber warehouse owned by city councilor Abubakar Karim Gunong.
Upon investigation, Delumpines said the explosion was made of low quality “commercialized firecracker powder placed inside a plastic cellophane.”
Even then, Delumpines acknowledged that it created a loud explosion.
There was no reported damage in the warehouse of Gunong, who also told investigators that he had not received any threats or extortion demands, to become the target of the blast.
Delumpines said the blast could be the work of minors who had no better things to do. “That night after the explosion, not a single minor was spotted on site,” he noted.
The last reported explosion in Lamitan City was on June 20, 2022 where an improvised explosive device was planted at the gate of the city hall complex. No one was hurt but the water pipes outside the compound were destroyed.
