Gordon condemns triple blasts in Mindanao

Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind.) today condemned three blasts that hit Cotabato City, Jolo, Sulu, and Iligan City, Lanao Del Norte.

Gordon expressed condemnation as he urged the military to step up surveillance and intelligence operations to stop the spate of bombings in Mindanao, which is merely prolonging the conflict in the South.

"Dapat imbestigahan na natin ito ngayon. Masyado ng maraming namamatay sa Mindanao. Ang haba-haba na ng giyera dyan. Bakit nagkakaganyan? Kababayan din natin ang mga Muslim, dapat maisaayos na natin ang labanan na ito," he said.

Reports said an explosion occurred at 7:55 a.m. Tuesday in Poblacion village in Jolo just in front of the Gotoling Hardware on Sanchez Street. The improvised explosive device was placed inside a motorcycle parked in front of a Caltex gasoline station in the area. The incident killed six people and wounded 40 others.

More than two hours after the Jolo blast, another bomb went off in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte province around 10:40 a.m. at the corner of Sabayle Street and Cabili Avenue, in front of a lending firm. An Army jeep, which was passing by the area, was hit in the explosion. Two soldiers were killed and six civilians were injured in the explosion.

Gordon earlier urged both the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to go back to the negotiating table.

"I urge the perpetrators of these bombings to stop such terrorist attacks on civilians. Innocent children were killed in Sunday's bombing. Just imagine they could be your own children. Why don't you just go back to the negotiating table," he said.

Sunday morning's bomb explosion near a cathedral in Cotabato City, which killed five people and wounded 45 others, occurred while Archbishop Orlando Quevedo was delivering his homily on the role of priests as peacemakers.