Two explosive devices exploded at Leyte town plaza; 33 hurt, say Philippine police
Victims of the town plaza bombing in Hilongos, Leyte, get emergency treatment at a hospital. Photo contributed by Michael Bardos
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte: Improvised explosive devices (IED) were used in the bombing of the town plaza in Hilongos, Leyte past 9pm on Wednesday.
Chief Insp. Alberto Renomeron, Hilongos police chief, said in a phone interview, two IEDs exploded at the Rizal Plaza where people were watching a boxing event in celebration of Hilongos' annual fiesta.
A third IED was planted outside the church but didn't explode, reports said.
Renomeron said the victims were brought to the Hilongos District Hospital and Leyte Baptist Hospital.
Philippine Red Cross-Hilongos chapter administrator Everlisa Alotaya said the number of injured victims has reached 33.
Chief Supt. Elmer Cruz Beltejar, police director for Eastern Visayas, said five of those wounded were in critical condition.
Renemeron said the local police were still in the process of identifying the perpetrators but his men as well as members of the local Explosive and Ordnance Division and the Scene of the Crime Operatives were already at the crime scene.
Checkpoints were also being conducted on roads leading to and going out of Hilongos in a bid to arrest the perpetrators. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
Leyte police provincial director Supt. Franco Simborio said out of the 32 injured, 16 were treated as outpatient while the remaining 16 were brought to various hospitals in Hilongos, Baybay, and Tacloban City.
Dr. Minerva Molon, Department of Health Regional Director, said three victims had to be sent to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) in Tacloban City as the hospitals in Baybay had no facilities to deal with their injuries.
Simborio added that they found two improvised explosive devices (IED) were used, both 81-mm mortar shells. The first one exploded at around 9:01 p.m. The second one exploded 30 seconds after the first blast but was in “low order,” meaning it did not completely explode.
Hilongos Mayor Alberto Villahermosa said the local government is on top of the situation and that the injured have all been brought to the hospital. There were also no reported deaths. Police and military personnel have been deployed to the blast site.
“The two bombs used had a strong magnitude that may have killed a lot of people when exploded at the same time,” said Simborio, who was at the crime scene few hours after the incident.
The plaza packed with about 500 audience, was just across the municipal hall and local police station. The boxing event is part of the town’s fiesta celebration.
Simborio believed that the bombing could be an act of retaliation from an arrested drug suspect, although the terrorism angle is still being investigated. The unexploded IED is now in the custody of the police.
“We didn’t expect this. There was no bomb threat prior to this incident. We were caught by surprise when this happened since we are a peace loving town,” Villahermosa said.The mayor also believed that this could be retaliation of their campaign against criminality, resulting to the arrest of Muslims involved in car theft, illegal drugs and production of fake money.
Most of the victims suffered injuries on their feet. At least 46 Department of Health doctors and medical volunteers from nearby towns rushed to this town to assist the victims.
Antonina Ruiz Dapile, local chief doctor said the 25-bed capacity Hilongos District Hospital has accommodated 40 patients after the blast.
Among the victims is Domingo Liba, 60 who said that he must have been dead had the second bomb exploded. Following the first blast, he carried his wounded son who suffered left leg bone injury. The son is now at EVRMC.
Four of his family members – three children and a grandchild – were wounded.
Also hurt was Jesyl Managbanag, 26 who is five-month pregnant and is being treated at the local hospital due to minor injuries. Her baby is already safe.
The police have been reviewing the recorded CCTV footage for possible identification of the suspects. Follow up investigation is still ongoing.
Hilongos town is about 152 kilometers south of Tacloban City, the regional capital. It is a second class town in Leyte with regular daily ferry trips to Cebu and Bohol. (With report from PNA)
