Another bomb hidden in papaya found in Iligan

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ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews/21 December) -- Another homemade bomb hiddeninside a papaya fruit was found by a child scavenger at around 10 a.m.Sunday and defused by bomb disposal experts by 10:46 a.m.

Ron (not his real name), 10, was scavenging with two other childrenalong Echiverri Street when he saw the papaya which contained a devicewith wirings.

Suspecting it was a bomb, the boy reported the matter to the nearestpolice station.Police noted the bomb was fashioned out of an 81mm mortar, with detonating cap and a timer with 9-volt batteries.

Still unidentified culprits left the papaya bomb near Kim Guan SchoolSupplies, a few meters from the Maria Cristina Hotel.

The homemade bomb (also improvised explosive device), is similar to the bomb left by two teenage suspects at Delecta bakeshop on Friday, a day after bombs exploded in front of Jerry's shopping center which faces Delecta, and Unicity, a stone's throw away.

Two baggage attendants were killed while 43 shoppers and vendors were injured inThursday's twin blasts.The bomb is also similar to those used in toppling towers of theTransmission Corporation (TransCo), said Jun Garcia, head of thepolice K9 unit in searching the vicinity where the bomb was found.

The bomb left behind in Delecta was also hidden in a papaya fruit.

Mayor Lawrence Cruz and Councilor Providencio Abragan immediately wentto the site where the bomb was found.

Cruz said the discovery of these bombs "sends us a message that wemust all be vigilant. They have bad plans and we condemn this at thehighest level. We are going to the bottom of this and we will notallow them to win."

"Securing the community can't be the lone obligation of the city police and the military. Now is the time that we must share our bravery," he said.

"Ninety nine percent of the people want peace but maybe we still have one percent who plan otherwise," he said.

Cruz bared he met a higher official of the police force for theaugmentation of security forces.

He also said there are now 500 members of the civilian volunteerorganization (CVO) organized by the local government unit to helpsecure civilians this Christmas season.

He said CVOs will be dispersed in the market and public areas.

"Let's be extra careful and evade adventurism, " he said.

Police superintendent Celso G. Regencia went to DXIC and urged civilians not to panic and to instead cooperate while authoritiesconduct frisking or searching.

Regencia said a cartographic sketch of the young teenagers who plantedthe bomb inside Delecta are now being reproduced while authorities arestill inviting experts who could analyze the suspects who left the bomb at the Unicity baggage area as captured by security cameras.

A hundred police forces from the regional mobile force will arrive inthe city Sunday as added security forces.

Meanwhile, bystanders and customers of Download internet café located beside Maria Cristina Hotel panicked when they saw a coconut placedinside a pink cellophane left near the café's entrance door.

A bomb squad rushed to the area to investigate the object left.

"Thebomb squad declared that the coconut husk contained fermented fruits,"said SPO4 Wilfredo Siman, chief police non-commission officer.(Violeta M. Gloria/MindaNews)