Car in parking lot stirs bomb fear in Pagadian City

After a series of bombings in Mindanao this week, residents of Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur were not taking chances with a car left overnight in a parking lot.

An inspection conducted by the Philippine National Police Bomb Squad on Thursday found that the car, which was left in the parking lot of Gaisano Mall from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday morning, did not contain any bomb, Pagadian City Administrator Vrixzio Daniel told GMA News Online in a phone interview.

“Walang bomba sa sasakyan. Naiwan lang kahapon mga 2 p.m .hanggang kanina umaga kaya pinaghinalaan na may bomba,” he said. “May isang lalake at babae ang nag-iwan ng sasakyan base sa CCTV footage ng mall.”

The police are still investigating why the car’s supposed owners left the car. During the search, it was found that the car’s registration has not been renewed.

“Siyempre hindi kami kumpiyansa dahil sa sunod-sunod na nangyari sa Cotabato City at Cagayan de Oro City,” Daniel added.

Last Monday, an explosion in Cotabato City killed eight people. On Wednesday, two other areas in Mindanao—Midsayap in Cotabato province and Shariff Saydona Mustapha in Maguindanao—were rocked by separate explosions. And on July 26, a powerful blast in a commercial area in Cagayan de Oro City killed nine people and injured dozens of others.— BM, GMA News