MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato – Military authorities in North Cotabato appealed on Monday to the public to immediately report any suspicious objects they found on bridges and other infrastructures to avoid getting hurt.
The appeal was aired by Lt. Colonel Angelo Lutera, commander of the Army’s 34th Infantry Battalion, following the discovery of a powerful improvised explosive device over the weekend on a bridge linking North Cotabato and Maguindanao.
The improvised bomb fashioned from a 60 mm mortar explosive with a mobile phone as trigger mechanism was found by motorists atop the Ugalingan Bridge in Barangay Ugalingan here at around 6 a.m. on Saturday.
Lutera said the IED could be intended for military vehicles passing by the area, but it could also harm non-combatants because it was planted on a bridge linking Midsayap to neighboring Datu Piang town in Maguindanao.
Lutera, citing intelligence reports, said that the the IED could have been planted by ISIS -linked terrorists who are the subject of massive military operations in Maguindanao.
He said the best anyone can do is to report to the nearest local police or military installation any suspicious object left unattended on a road or a bridge.
Lutera also appealed to the public to help authorities prevent similar attempt in the future by providing information to police or Army in the area. (PNA)
