Zambo mayor calls for sobriety, vigilance after twin blasts

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The local government here on Sunday appealed for sobriety and vigilance following the twin bombing attack on a Roman Catholic Cathedral and a coffee shop. "We should remain calm. Let us not panic or show fear because it will just give added victory to the perpetrators," Mayor Celso Lobregat said as he condemned the bombings. The first bombing occurred at around 4 a.m. at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in downtown Zamboanga. The second bomb was detonated five minutes later outside the Vienna Kaffee Haus near the Foreign Affairs regional office. Archbishop Romulo Valles branded the attack on the Church as "an act of darkness," and called on the citizens to pray and stay united. "We are greatly saddened deeply by these incidents. It is clearly an act of darkness. We should stand united," he said. Two cars parked at the church compound were damaged when the bomb, believed to be assembled from an 81mm mortar, exploded under a concrete stairs leading. The second blast also damaged the Vienna Kaffee Haus. The explosion ripped through the café's steel door, creating a hole about a foot in diameter. Its neon sign was also destroyed and its façade damaged by shrapnel. No one was reported injured in the attacks, but the blasts worried city officials that it would scare investors and tourists from Zamboanga. More than 6,000 visitors are in Zamboanga City for the national convention of pharmacists and the private school athletes' competitions. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the bombings, and the motive of the attacks was still unknown. - Al Jacinto, GMANews.TV