Blast hits Tulunan peace zone

KIDAPAWAN CITY -An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded Friday night in an area supposedly peace zone inBarangay Banayal, Tulunan, North Cotabato, a military official said. Lieutenant Danny Tapang, the military 39thInfantry Battalion spokesperson, said the explosion happened at around 7:30 evening about 60 meters away from the army’s detachment. No one was hurt in the explosion, Tapang said. However, it sent some villagers into panic believing that their village was under attack. Some children are already sleeping but awakened due to very loud explosion,” a villager said. Tapang said before the explosion, three suspicious looking individuals were seen within the vicinity of the blast site. The army official however cannot ascertain whether the explosion was perpetrated by the suspected New Peoples’ Army (NPA) rebels operating in the mountainous portion of Tulunan. The 39thInfantry Battalion condemn the incident that endangers the safety and welfare of the villagers,” Tapang said. Tapang assured the villagers that his team will not not tolerateunlawful act while the military is intensifying the peace and development effort in various areas of Tulunan. Tapang said military personnel were deployed in at least 16 villages in Tulunan to initiate peace and development program in the area .