DAVAO CITY — A car bomb exploded in the southern Philippine city of Tacurong just minutes after the convoy of vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo passed near the area. At least three people were injured in the blast.
The car was parked near a gas station along Jose Abad Santos Street when it exploded. It was not immediately known whether Robredo was the target of the bombing or not, but the politician was there to campaign ahead of the May national elections.
The bombing occurred as locals were celebrating the Catholic feast of Nuestra Señora dela Candelaria.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the bombing, but it occurred after government officials admitted that there is no more hope for the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to be approved under the Aquino administration.
The MILF has repeatedly warned that violence may erupt if Congress fails to pass the proposed law that seeks to create an autonomous Bangsamoro region.
In December, MILF rebels attacked civilians and killed at least a dozen of them in Tulunan town in North Cotabato province near Tacurong. The police said the violence was an offshoot of a long-standing land conflict.
