Early morning explosion rocks Datu Odin Sinsuat town, Maguindanao

DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao — A loud explosion rocked the town of Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao around 1 a.m. on Monday, a few hours before polling precincts open for the national and local elections.

MAGUINDANAO | Grenade explosion outside the municipal hall compound of Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao #Eleksyon2019 | @jun_veneracion pic.twitter.com/VkKPGUXK2t

— GMA News (@gmanews) 12 May 2019

The incident was captured on CCTV located outside the compound of the Datu Odin Sinsuat municipal hall.

The video shows two suspects onboard a motorcycle leaving the area just 100 meters away from the municipal hall — the staging area for the distribution of election paraphernalia.

Seconds later, the explosion occurs, lighting up the dark street as the suspects sped away from the scene.

Luckily, no one was hurt.

Elements of the military’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team recovered fragments of a grenade at the blast site.

Authorities suspect the explosion could be part of a sinister plot to disrupt the elections and scare off voters.

Security officials consider the town as an election hotspot due to the intense political rivalry. — BAP, GMA News