2 soldiers, 3 civilians hurt in grenade blast in Maguindanao del Sur

Two soldiers and three civilians were injured after a hand grenade exploded along a road in Barangay Mother Poblacion, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, on Saturday morning.

CCTV footage showed vehicles traveling along the road when a motorcycle suddenly turned around, followed by a military vehicle.

Moments later, an explosion rocked the area, followed by a series of gunshots.

The incident occurred around 6:30 a.m.

Residents were startled as police officers were seen chasing unidentified individuals following the blast.

According to the 6th Infantry Division (6ID), two soldiers assigned to the 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion were wounded in the explosion.

Three civilians were also injured after being struck by shrapnel. They were taken to a hospital and are now in stable condition.

“They [were] traversing the route from Cotabato City to South Cotabato area [when] they were attacked by two unidentified riding-in-tandem in the vicinity of Shariff Aguak,” 6ID spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Suscano said.

According to the Police Regional Office–Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR), authorities are still confirming which group opened fire after the explosion.

“Hindi pa kasi confirmed ngayon kung ano ‘yung side ang nagpaputok, kung sa Army lang or pati ‘yung mga personnel natin from the PNP and if nagputok din ‘yung mga suspects na hinabol natin,” PRO-BAR spokesperson Captain Steffi Salanguit said.

(It has not yet been confirmed which side fired the shots—whether only the Army was involved, whether PNP personnel also discharged their firearms, or whether the suspects we were pursuing returned fire.)

Authorities are pursuing the perpetrators while investigators work to determine the motive behind the attack.

Security measures have been tightened following the implementation of the gun ban, as the election period for the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections began on Thursday, July 16.

“Pertaining to that security, very tight ‘yung security natin ngayon kasi nga nag-start na ang ating election period and meron na tayong gun ban, and ‘yung ating COMELEC checkpoint ay 24/7 all around sa BARMM,” Salanguit said.

(In terms of security, we have tightened our security measures since the election period has already started. The gun ban is now in effect, and COMELEC checkpoints are operating 24/7 across the BARMM.)

“Pinaigting natin ‘yung checkpoint operations natin. 'Yung mga patrolling natin expected sa mga area tulad ng Shariff Aguak na na-identify natin na medyo hotspot even before the gun ban started. Nag-deploy tayo ng additional personnel na security requirement in that area,” Suscano added.

(We have intensified our checkpoint operations and patrols, particularly in areas such as Shariff Aguak, which we had identified as a potential hotspot even before the gun ban took effect. We also deployed additional personnel to meet the security requirements in the area.) — GMA Regional TV