DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 2, 2012) – A grenade attack has injured at least three dozen people in the southern Philippine city of Davao, a stronghold of communist rebels, officials said Sunday.
Officials said the victims were watching a circus show in the village of Fatima in Paquibato district when an unidentified man tossed the fragmentation grenade late Saturday.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the blast and the military condemned the attack.
Col. Lysander Suerte, commander of the 1003rd Infantry Brigade, branded the attack as “an act of total disregard of the safety and welfare of innocent civilians.”
He said most of the victims were civilians just watching the circus.
“The Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division is providing support to the Philippine National Police and other concerned government agencies in their investigation of this incident. In the spirit of Bayanihan, the Army would like to enjoin everyone to condemn those who use violence and intimidation against the people,” Suerte said.
The Commission on Human Rights also condemned the attack.
“It is a very disturbing incident. That barbaric and dastardly act is negative to the peace and does violence to the conscience of man and gravely violated the human rights of people and therefore condemned in the strongest terms possible.”
“The CHR seriously and strongly condemns this uncivilized act and appeals to the citizenry to give and report any information to the authorities as to the identity of any person or group responsible,” said lawyer Alberto Sipaco, Jr., the CHR head, in a statement sent out by the 10th Infantry Division.
Police said soldiers were guarding the circus show when the attack occurred. It said the New People’s Army rebels, who are fighting for a separate communist state, could be targeting the troops. (Mindanao Examiner)
20