ILIGAN CITY (August 30)– The Iligan City Police Office is now taking lessons on the blast in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat on the evening of August 28 that killed two and wounded 36 others.
The town was celebrating its annual fiesta when the bomb went off. Suspected pro Islamist militants were behind the detonation of the bomb.
ICPO chief Senior Superintendent Manuel Alvarez in a meeting of the Iligan City Peace and Order Council, on Wednesday, August 29, announced that his office is now requesting the local government unit to support their appeal to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) that signals will be cut off during the highlights of the Diyandi Festival in Iligan City for the whole month of September.
September is declared as fiesta and tourism month, called Diyandi Festival, in Iligan City. It will officially start on the September 1 with the opening of Diyandi Park.
Aside from the opening of the festival, Alvarez also referred to the Pakanaug on September 20, a Catholic ritual that starts the nine-day fiesta novena where thousands of devotees are expected to join; Diyandi Street Dancing and Showdown and Miss Iligan Beauty Pageant on September 27; Civic Military Parade on September 28; and Fiesta Procession on September 29 as the highlights of the celebration.
“There are reports that the bomb in Isulan was triggered by cellular phones. This (signal jamming) was also practiced in Cagayan de Oro City when they conducted big activities like procession and street dancing and it was successful,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez however clarified that their request of cutting the cellphone signal is only at specific date and time of the day. Divina Suson/ NewsLine
