An undetermined explosive went off under a parked vehicle outside a condominium along Ecowest in Ecoland, Davao City on Thursday.
Davao City Police Office (DCPO) director Col. Alberto Lupaz said that based on a footage from a CCTV, two people were seen walking by the parked vehicle, stopped beside it and threw an object under under a Honda CRV car.
The explosion came shortly five minutes thereafter.
Asked of the type of explosive used by the suspects, Lupaz said the police forensic unit will reconstruct the fragments obtained from the crime scene to determine what type of explosive was used.
The vehicle’s owner was identified as the wife of lawyer Alberto Magulta who is said to be handling “big” cases in Region 12. The lawyer was also reported to have received threats from unknown persons recently.
With Magulta’s statement, Lupaz has ruled out the incident as terrorist acts.
“Base sa pakighinabi sa tag iya na si Atty. Magulta aduna syay gigunitan na mga kaso na bug-at ug naa syay nadawat na mga threats regarding ani. In line sa iyang mga kaso ang mga suspects ani probably,” Lupaz said.
Task Force Davao (TF Davao) commander Colonel Darren Comia told media that they are closely coordinating with their counterparts in Region 12 for additional leads.
Because of the incident, Lupaz said security forces in the city will have an adjustment in its security measures.
“Mag adjust ta sa security sa city basta naay ingon ani nga panghitabo although work related ni kay dako ang possibility nga nakaya nila buhaton in broad daylight,” Lupaz said.
He also urged Dabawenyos to be alert and report suspected individuals to the police.
“Ug maabtikon pirmi kung naay makita na mga tao nga kahinahinala i-report dayon sa kapulisan. Base sa among initial investigation personal ni ug dili terrorism,” he said.
He advised the public to refrain posting unverified reports on social media.
“Ang mensahe para sa Dabawenyo dili lang ta pataka ug post sa social media para dili mahadlok ang mga katawhan,” he said.
