Kidapawan fruit fest to go amid bombings

Ongoing festivities at the annual fruit festival of Kidapawan City in the southern Philippine province of Cotabato will continue despite three bomb attacks this week which killed at least eight people. Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr said Thursday military and police forces in the area have put in place enough security measures to protect residents during the festival. "I had been a brigade commander in the area for some time. The fruit festival is a significant occasion for the residents there," said Esperon, adding in Filipino that, "some security measures need to be taken but the bottom line is that it should go on," Esperon said in an interview on dzMM radio. He said scrapping the festival will be tantamount to "giving in" to terrorists' mission of sowing fear among ordinary citizens. The festival started last Monday and will last until October 15. In a span of less than 24 hours, bomb explosions ripped Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat, Makilala town in North Cotabato, and Cotabato City in Maguindanao. Government authorities have corrected earlier reports that 12 people died in the Makilala incident, the most violent attack. They said six people died in Makilala, with about 30 injured. Two people died in the Tacurong City Public Market explosion, while no casualties were reported in Cotabato City. The bombs in all three blasts, according to police and local officials, were made of 81-mm mortar heads. North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piñol noted that this was the "signature" explosive of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The group, however, has already condemned the attacks. Kidapawan folk annually celebrate their fruit festival where everyone can eat for free several kinds of fruits, including durian, rambutan, mangosteen, lanzones, mango and banana. The fruits are prepared on a three-kilometer stretch along the highway. Esperon also welcomed the announcement by the MILF condemning earlier bombings in the area and offering to help investigate them. "This is a welcome development," Esperon said. Retaliatory attacks Police in Mindanao suspect the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf terrorist groups to be behind the bombings, which they said were "retaliatory." Chief Supt. German Doria, Central Mindanao police director, said Wednesday the bombings were likely in retaliation for the arrest of the wife of Indonesian bomber Dulmatin last week. "As early as Monday, we received intelligence reports connecting the MILF and JI to bombings planned in Mindanao. The MILF claims those linked to the plot are from its lost commands," Doria said in an interview on dzRH radio Wednesday. He said the JI, MILF "lost commands" and ASG were likely also behind the bombing in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat that reportedly killed at least two persons Tuesday afternoon. When asked if the bombings in Tacurong and in Makilala, North Cotabato were related, he said "they are connected." Terrorist's wife Doria also said they expected the retaliatory attacks as early as last week when Dulmatin's wife was captured. "We have intensified checkpoints in main thoroughfares. We have been on heightened alert since Tuesday night. We have additional security elements in highly urbanized areas," he said. Makilala Mayor Onofre Respicio said that as early as Tuesday morning, text messages warning of a bombing had already spread in Makilala town in North Cotabato. He said this prompted him to order police to beef up security for the town's 52nd founding anniversary, but such a move turned out to be futile in the end. He said up to 4,000 civilians were in the streets Tuesday to mark the town's 52nd founding anniversary.-GMANews.TV