2 improvised bombs found in Ampatuan

MANILA, Philippines—Two improvised bombs were found along the road in Ampatuan town just as the Philippines commemorated the second anniversary of the massacre in Maguindanao Wednesday,  the Armed Forces of the Philippines said.

“We have pre-empted an explosion that would damage and inflict casualty on those who will commemorate the Maguindanao massacre,” AFP spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said.

The military intensified intelligence gathering ahead of the commemoration of the grisly murder of 57 people, 32 of whom were journalists.

“Because of the commemoration, we intensified intelligence gathering in support of the Philippine National Police. We linked up networks in law enforcement agencies, and aside from that, we conducted security patrols in the area,” Burgos told reporters.

A report from the Eastern Mindanao Command said that two improvised explosive devices were recovered Wednesday morning—one 81mm and one 105mm.

The first bomb was found 300 meters away from a road junction going to the massacre site and the other one was seen about one kilometer from the massacre site.

So far, no suspects have been identified, Burgos said.