Philippine president visits southern city after blasts hit
19/12/2008 16:53
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today visited the southern
city of Iligan a day after three people were killed, 47 others were wounded in
twin blasts that hit two downtown stores there.
According to local radio
reports, Arroyo visited the wounded at the local hospital, while the press
secretary condemned the bloody attack at the height of the merry Christmas
season.
"We condemn this mindless terrorist attack on civilians in Iligan. We
condole with the families whose loved ones have become hapless victims of these
murderous acts," Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said in a statement.
"All the
more that we should all remain steadfast and vigilant and not allow such
dastardly acts to further terrorize us," Dureza added.
The visit came a day
after two bombs ripped through two malls in the city. Initial findings said the
bombs were triggered by mobile phones.
The first bomb exploded at the baggage
counter of Uni-City Department Store around 1:30 p.m. The second bomb went off
30 minutes after at the baggage counter of Jerry's Shoppers Plaza and killed two
baggage boys.
No group has claimed responsibility while the military and
police suspected it was conducted by rogue members of the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF), the country's largest Muslim rebel group that has been
exchanging fire with government forces for four decades in southern Mindanao
region.
Xinhua
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