1 hurt in GenSan blast; extortion eyed

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – The driver of a passing tricycle was slightly injured when a sports utility vehicle parked in front of a hardware store here exploded on Tuesday night, the police said.

Police identified the casualty as Alfredo Sanchez.

Alex Monteagudo, police director for Central Mindanao, said initial police investigation showed that an incendiary bomb had triggered the fire that engulfed the Isuzu Crosswind of Luis Tan, who also owns the hardware store on Papaya Street.

The bomb was planted underneath or beside the SUV, Monteagudo told a Cotabato City radio station shortly after the 8 p.m. explosion.  Another car parked near Tan’s vehicle also sustained damages, he added.

Although no one has yet claimed responsibility for the explosion, Monteagudo said the police were looking at extortion as one of the motives.

He said Tan had told police investigators that an unidentified man came to him asking for money.

Senior Superintendent Cedrick Train, city police chief, said they were probing deeper into the incident but added that police had ruled out terrorism.

“The explosive was placed on a specific target away from a crowded place. We are still digging deeper,” he said.

Train said the police were also trying to check if the incident was captured by a security camera of the hardware store because there was a brief power outage in the area before the explosion.

A resident told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the explosion occurred shortly after power was restored.