Police to file charges vs. suspects in Aug. 28 Isulan blast

PRIMARY SUSPECT. Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco, regional director of the Police Regional Office-12 (PRO-12), shows during a command conference the computerized facial composite of the primary suspect in the Aug. 28 bomb explosion in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. (File photo by PRO-12)

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Police next week will file charges against the suspects in the first of the two recent bomb attacks in Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat province, which killed five people and wounded 48 others.

Police Regional Office 12 (Soccsksargen) Director, Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco, said Saturday the Special Investigation Task Force (SITG) “Hamungaya” is finalizing the cases against the suspects in the Aug. 28 explosion in Isulan.

Rasco met on Friday with members of the two SITGs created by PRO-12 in line with the twin attacks to monitor the progress of the ongoing parallel investigations.

SITG “Hamungaya” is mainly focused on the first attack, which happened two days before the culmination of Isulan’s 7th Hamungaya Festival and 61st foundation anniversary celebration.

Three people were killed and 46 others were wounded in the blast, which ripped through an “ukay-ukay” stall and a nearby store located beside the national highway in Barangay Kalawag 3.

Another SITG dubbed “LJ” was activated for the Sept. 2 blast inside the Liezther James Internet cafe in Barangay Kalawag 2, which left two people dead and 12 others wounded.

The two SITGs are headed by Senior Supt. Oliver Enmodias, PRO-12 deputy director for operation.

“I have ordered the speedy filing of airtight cases against all those behind these incidents,” Rasco said.

The police official directed the two SITGs to give more focus on their investigation and resolve these at the soonest possible time to “bring prompt justice to all the victims.”

He said that the Philippine National Police national headquarters and the general public are closely monitoring the updates and developments on the two incidents.

“Rest assured that we will not stop until appropriate charges will be filed against those responsible individuals and we will see to it that the long arm of the law will finally put them behind bars,” Rasco said.

Investigators earlier released a computerized facial composite of the main suspect in the Aug. 28 blast based on witnesses’ accounts.

However, sources said several other suspects were being considered by the SITG in connection with the attack.

Isulan Mayor Marites Pallasigue earlier said three “persons of interest” have been identified in line with the Sept. 2 attack. (Allen Estabillo/PNA)

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