South Cotabato cops on alert after foiled bus bombing in SK

KORONADAL CITY - Following the foiled bombing attempt at a bus in Tacurong City, police authorities here and in South Cotabato have placed all its units on heightened alert. We are on heightened alert, we seek the cooperation of the public, Supt. Nestor Salcedo, Koronadal City PNP chief told DXOM-AM Radyo Bida Koronadal in an interview.Salcedo said reports have it that two of the three suspects arrested in connection with the foiled bombing attempt at Yellow Bus Line unit in Tacurong Wednesday boarded the bus from Koronadal City bus terminal.All police officers in vacation and on leave have been recalled, Salcedo said.Police checkpoints have been established in the city's possible terrorists' entry and exit points with more policemen, plainclothes and in civilian attire deployed in bus terminals, public markets and other populated areas in the city.Salcedo appealed to everyone to be on guard against suspicious looking persons, baggages and things left unattended. Meanwhile, the management of Yellow Bus Lines today assured the riding public security measures are in place to prevent similar incident in the future. Bernardo Bolanio, YBL assistant operations manager, internal security steps have been applied to ensure the safety of all passengers, drivers and conductors of all YBL units plying the Tacurong-Isulan-Koronadal-Gen. Santos City route.Bolanio told DXOM-AM Radyo Bida Koronadal that all drivers, conductors, dispatchers and inspectors have been directed not to load or unload passengers in between terminals.Inspection in all baggages and body search is being conducted before passengers can take on the bus, Bolanio said. Bolanio said YBL investigation showed that the bus conductor remembered two of the suspects boarded the bus with body number 9208 in Koronadal City while the third suspect who allegedly carried the improvised explosive device boarded in the loading and unloading area of Tacurong public market.Bolanio also appealed to local government units to deploy policemen in loading and unloading area outside bus terminals to ensure the safety of commuters.At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Supt. Junnie Buenacosa, Tacurong City PNP chief, said three men hurriedly disembarked from the YBL bus after it left the terminal bound for Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat.Suspicious of the acts of three men, the police intelligence agents accosted them and invited for questioning while other police officers chased the bus until it was flagged down at a police checkpoint in Barrio Dos, Tacurong City.The three denied they carried the bomb. But an inspection conducted on the bus led to the discovery of an IED placed inside a cellophane and fashioned from two 60 mm mortars and live ammunition for rocket grenade launcher. Buenacosa said the IED has no triggering device thus it will not explode while inside the bus. He believed it could be intended for Isulan or somewhere else.He said the three suspects earlier invited for questioning have been released.Buenacosa also belived the suspects who transported the IED only wanted to threaten the bus firm after it ignored extortion demand from lawless elements.