Suspect in 2008 Digos City bus bombing falls in Maguindanao

DATU PAGLAS, Maguindanao – Government security forces on Thursday dawn arrested here a suspect in the 2008 Digos City bus bombing that left six people dead and several others injured.

The suspect, Kamad Makauyag alias Madz, allegedly a member of the extortion and kidnap-for-ransom group Al Khobar, has been the subject of an arrest warrant issued by Regional Trial Court in Digos City.

Makauyag was arrested following a 4 a.m. joint police-military operation in a farm owned by the family of Datu Mahal Matalam, the chairperson of Barangay Penfarm in this town who was also arrested for illegal possession of firearms, according to Sr Insp Allan Uy, chief of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in the Autonmous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Matalam is the son of former Maguindanao governor Jimmy Matalam, Uy said.

Makauyag, meanwhile, denied any participation in any bombing in Mindanao. He said he was an ordinary farmer working as caretaker in Matalam's house.

Government forces recovered from the village official one German-made cal. 22 rifle, 9mm sub-machine gun and cal. 40 pistol with ammunition.

Uy said the arrest was part of the Philippine National Police's “Oplan Pagtugis and Oplan Paglalansag” targeting wanted persons and loose firearms.

"Our priority was Makauyag because he was a member of Al-khobar extortion group," he said. "We searched the vicinity and found firearms in the house of Matalam."

On April 2, 2008, six persons were killed and about 30 others were hurt when an improvised bomb packed with nails exploded inside a Metro Shuttle bus that was on its way to Malita, Daval del Sur from Davao City. —Ferdinandh Cabrera/KBK, GMA News