Blast rocks North Cotabato state university; no one hurt

KABACAN, North Cotabato – Unidentified men set off a powerful improvised explosive device at the administration building of a premier university here on Sunday night, police said.

Chief Inspector Jordine Maribojo, Kabacan police chief, said the powerful blast occurred at about 8:15 p.m. at the back portion of the administration building of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM).

Nobody was hurt in the incident but the explosion damaged the glass panes of the two-story building.

Maribojo said no one has claimed responsibility for the bomb attack which caused panic among the residents nearby.

The administration building is situated near the main entrance of the university and about 50 meters away from residential and commercial center.

Classes at the university, which has been marred by a series of protests and demonstrations against former USM President Dr. Antonio Jesus Derije since January to June, have returned to normal when Derije opted to step down to avoid delay of classes.

During the time when rallies were held, there were violence reported, including bombing and burning of vehicles inside the campus.

Army and PNP bomb experts recovered fragments of what they believed was an IED fashioned from 81 mm mortars with mobile phone as trigger mechanism.

Classes continued as scheduled Monday.