Mangudadatu survives car bomb attack; 2 killed, 6 hurt in convoy

COTABATO CITY—At least two persons were killed while at least six others were wounded in a car bomb attack on the seven-vehicle convoy led by Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu in Tacurong City on Monday afternoon.

“The very powerful bomb was intended for me,” said Mangudadatu, who was riding in his bulletproof van when the blast occurred along the Tacurong City-Koronadal highway.

The blast scene was about 100 meters from Tacurong Fitmart and went off while the convoy of Mangudadatu was passing by.

Two persons were confirmed dead and six others were rushed to the hospital. A leg, and other body parts of one of the wounded, was left inside a mangled Toyota Fortuner.

One of those killed died immediately in the blast site, according to Supt. Danilo Peralta, Tacurong City police chief. Another died while being operated on at Tamondong Hospital in Tacurong City.

The victims remained unidentified as of this writing.

“I was on my way to Genalyn Resort with other Maguindanao local officials to celebrate my birthday when the explosion happened,” Mangudadatu said, adding that he would no longer push with the celebration scheduled from 6 p.m. on Monday because of the incident.

Mangudadatu said as the convoy was moving fast, a parked white KIA Avella car (MDJ-274) suddenly went off, hitting the black Toyota Fortuner of Maguindanao first district board member Russman Sinsuat, who was among the wounded.

Sinsuat and a son were among those injured. Mangudadatu said the Sinsuats were in stable condition in a hospital in Tacurong.

“I condemn this attack, innocent civilians were hurt,” the governor said.

But Mangudadatu also called for sobriety among supporters and armed followers.

“Let’s not be impulsive of what happened by allowing concerned law enforcement agencies to investigate the kind of bomb and the people behind the attack,” he said.

Mangudadatu had just finished distributing 500 school bags to each municipality, rubber seedlings and fingerlings to farmers and fisherfolk when the convoy drove toward the birthday party venue at the family-owned resort in Tacurong.

Col. Leo Ferrer, 101st brigade commander, said three of those wounded were in very critical condition.

He said initial investigation showed that the bomb, which was attached to a KIA car parked at the road side, was mobile phone-detonated.

Peralta, citing initial findings from the police scene of the crime operatives, said the explosives could be made of 81 mm mortars with mobile phone as trigger mechanism.

“We are now tracing the owner of the car bomb,” Peralta said.