TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte—Eight people, including four civilians, were injured by a roadside explosion in Monkayo, Compostela Valley, on Friday, military and police authorities said.
Capt. Ernest Carolina, spokesperson of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said the explosion damaged a patrol car of the Monkayo police and wounded its driver and three civilians in the vehicle.
The blast happened around 8:40 a.m. at Sitio Macopa, in barangay Upper Ulip, Carolina said.
Moncayo police officers were on their way back after investigating the burning of a bulldozer owned by local gold miner Candido Balunos when the explosion occurred.
“We were heading back to the police station onboard the patrol car when there was a loud explosion just several meters from the torched heavy equipment,” said SPO3 Setchuan Te, Monkayo police investigator.
Te and three other policemen suffered slight injuries.
Also injured were village watchmen Johannes Fortaleza, Rey Maquiputin and Joel Sumatra, and an unidentified village councilor.
“Most of us had light shrapnel wounds in legs, neck, arms and forehead,” Te told the Inquirer by phone.
He surmised the bombers had used less a powerful explosive, such a pipe bomb—an improvised explosive fashioned from a sawn PVC pipe.
“We were just lucky,” said Te.
Police suspect the communist New People’s Army was behind the explosion.
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