7 killed, 27 hurt in Palawan grenade blast

At least seven persons were killed and 27 seriously injured after a grenade exploded in the middle of a public dance at a plaza in Palawan province before dawn Friday. Radio dzRH reported Saturday morning that most of the casualties were curious onlookers witnessing members of a group believed linked to a local cult grapple for the grenade. It said police are now looking for the suspect, initially identified only as Toto, who escaped after the explosion. The incident took place at about 1 a.m. in Canipaan village in Rizal town in Palawan. Rizal is a second-class town with a population of 31,745 people in 6,916 households. Palawan police head Sr. Supt. Dennis Peña described Toto as a native of Cagayan de Sulu, and a member of the Commando Brotherhood. Three of the seven fatalities were initially identified as Marizal Candumog, head of the local Commando Brotherhood chapter, Jose Ramos, and Teodoro Garcia. The Commando Brotherhood was linked to the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association of Ruben Ecleo, which the National Bureau of Investigation had branded as a cult. It was not immediately clear if the Commando Brotherhood in Palawan was affiliated with Ecleo's group. On the other hand, Peña said the 27 who were seriously injured were rushed to local hospitals. Two helicopters from the military Western Command were to arrive Saturday morning to airlift them to Manila for further medical treatment. Citing initial reports, Peña said most of those injured were participants at the local dance who chose to watch Toto and his fellow "brotherhood" members grapple for the grenade. Initial investigation showed Toto arrived at the plaza at about 1 a.m. with a shotgun to "show off." But his colleagues admonished him and told him not to bring such a weapon to a public place. Embarrassed, Toto went home but returned shortly with a grenade. Upon seeing the grenade, his colleagues tried to grab it, but the pin was removed during the scuffle.-GMANews.TV