A plot to perpetrate bombings in the Zamboanga Peninsula region and in three other provinces by terrorist groups having links with al-Qaeda was uncovered by authorities the other day.
Information from a military source based in Zamboanga City obtained by this paper reported that an unidentified urban terrorist group is targeting to bomb key areas around the region, including Zamboanga and Pagadian cities.
Presently, security has been heightened in Zamboanga City as a precautionary measure on the planned bomb attacks after the city was included in the so-called list of 20 cities targeted for attack.
As of press time, the Anti-Terrorism Council in Zamboanga City said it is corroborating the existence of a planned bomb attacks by terror groups as the city police office confirmed preventive measures have already been observed.
Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) Officer In-charge S/Supt. Amador Corpus disclosed that based on the reliable military information, the targets of the said attacks include Regions 9, 10, 11 and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
It can be recalled that in April, last year, suspected al-Qaida-linked militants bombed Zamboanga City’s Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral, the Maybank in Veterans Avenue compound and the office of the Foreign Affairs.
Two people were killed while 21 others were injured in that bombing which is being attributed by the military to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)’s Special Operations Team (SOT) because of the similarity to explosives allegedly used by the MILF in previous bombings in Mindanao.
Stepping up operations against the reported terror plots, city police at once informed local estaliblishments and security agencies to be wary on individuals with suspicious movements.
Chief Superintendent Angelo Hipolito Sunglao, PNP-9 regional director, said he has already ordered stringent police visibility in all areas in Zamboanga and Pagadian and has been constantly receiving updates on all police operations and security preparations in the mentioned city centers.
Last week, text messages about an impending bombing attack circulated in Zamboanga and Pagadian but this was dismissed by police authorities as a prank.
In the past, the military has blamed the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf as the culprit in their bombing attacks against Christians and foreigners.
But Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño, in a recently published report by Bulatlat, brushed aside the alleged bombing plot targeting Mindanao cities as a maneuver by the government for the declaration of martial law
“With all the speculations circulating about the possible motives and perpetrators responsible for the bombings, we are appalled and alarmed about the lack of credible information from authorities,” Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said as he urged authorities to go beyond the “Muslim terrorist” angle when verifying information on terror plots.
As this developed, there are no advisories issued yet against traveling to Zamboanga Peninsula due to the said bomb threats.
REPORT BY MICHAEL MEDINA