Cotabato car bomb suspects’ photos released

Sr. Supt. Rolen Balquin, city police director, though did not name the suspects as not to jeopardize their ongoing manhunt operation.

Guiani said the unspecified amount of bounty he is offering for the suspects’ capture stays.

“We want to get them (suspects) alive as possible for they would be instrumental in pointing to their masterminds and strengthen our case against them,” he stressed.

The mayor also maintained that he has managed to obtain all the documents containing the exchange of text messages between the bombers and masterminds that led to the bomb attack.

City Administrator Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, the mayor’s sister and alleged target of the attack, said she would like all those involved be imprisoned soon to give justice to those who died and hurt in the incident.

She said the city government is trying its best to bolster its intelligence capabilities in cooperation with the village leaders to avoid a repetition of the Aug. 5 attack.

Sayadi’s bulletproof vehicle was passing along Sinsuat Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare, when the car bomb went off with its impact ripping through a busy section of the highway, instantaneously killing five of the victims.

Sayadi was not hurt in the incident.

“We need every help we can from the communities despite our meager intelligence budget of some P207,000 monthly,” Sayadi said as she clarified that the big chunk of the city’s regular budget always go to basic public services.