Monday, January 5, 2004
Explosion in southern Philippines leaves 14 dead
Associated Press Manila, January 5
A bomb attached to a motorcycle blew up outside a southern Philippines open-air gymnasium packed for a basketball game, killing at least 14 people and wounding 87 others, officials said on Monday.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast in Parang town on Sunday. But investigators believe the bomb was intended for Mayor Vivencio Bataga, a tough-talking former army officer who has survived three attempts on his life.
The military's vice chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, adding that the death toll rose from 11 to 14 on Monday after some victims died of their wounds.
Bataga was talking to someone outside the gym when the explosion occurred. His teeth were knocked out and he suffered shrapnel injuries in the ribs, but he was reported in stable condition. He told reporters from his hospital bed that he believed the attack was aimed at him.
Following the blast, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered police and the military to come up with "a comprehensive operational plan" to prevent "election-related violence" as the Philippines prepares for the May 10 polls.
Earlier, Bataga blamed political rivals or drug syndicates for a September bombing in front of a church where he was attending Mass with his family. One of his bodyguards was slightly wounded in that blast.
Assailants earlier fired a rocket-propelled grenade that missed Bataga's vehicle and a bomb exploded while he was in a public market in April.
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2004.