AFP: Cotabato bombing has signs of 'test mission'

MANILA, Philippines - The deadly bombing near a cathedral that killed five people in Cotabato City on Sunday has the signs of a test-bombing mission of secessionist rebels, a military spokesman said Monday. Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. cited reports that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)’s Special Operations Group (SOG) had just completed bomb-making training. "Maraming nangyari in the past na sila ang may kagagawan. Ayon kay Lt. Col. Ponce, ang SOG ay katatapos lamang magdaos ng training sa bomb making. Ang nakikita natin parte ito ng test mission nila," Brawner said in an interview on dzXL radio. [We have seen past instances where the MILF’s Special Operations Group was involved. According to Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, the MILF-SOG had just finished a training in bomb-making and there are signs latest bombing was a test mission.] Also, he said there had been intelligence reports that the MILF-SOG was planning to "plant and detonate bombs all over Central Mindanao." He said local authorities in Cotabato City are still interrogating at least one suspect who was arrested after local churchgoers reported his "suspicious" behavior. But MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu, in a separate interview, denied the MILF’s hand in the incident, saying the MILF had nothing to gain from such an incident. "Ang PNP ngayon kasalukuyang very busy pinagtatagpi-tagpi ang pieces of evidence para lang makakuha ng conclusive findings. But ang Army, hindi pa nga tapos ang imbestigasyon, ay sinabi nang MILF ang may gawa. [The police are still trying to put together pieces of evidence, but the Army is already pointing to the MILF]," Kabalu said. Kabalu called for an "independent" investigation of the incident by a third party, preferably an international group. On the other hand, Brawner said they welcome an investigation by international groups, saying that the explosive was placed apparently to target churchgoers, which constituted a "terrorist attack." Brawner also said the incident may be an obstacle to the peace talks if the MILF is indeed involved. Government and the MILF suspended formal peace talks last year following attacks by rogue MILF units over the Supreme Court’s junking of a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain. "Nakakalungkot isipin na ang ganitong pangyayari ay mukhang magiging obstacle sa peace talks. Hopeful pa rin tayo na matuloy ito. [It is sad that it may become an obstacle to resuming peace talks. We are still hopeful the talks will resume]," Brawner said. - GMANews.TV