DAVAO CITY – A series of violent incidents rocked the province of Sarangani since Sunday when a bomb explosion nearly hit the vehicle of the governor while a mayor was nearly ambushed.

Reports showed that the convoy of Sarangani Governor Migs Dominguez was nearly hit by a bomb explosion Monday morning. The incident happened at 11:40 a.m. Monday just as Dominguez’s convoy was passing through Lun Masla Bridge in Malapatan town.

The improvised explosive device was apparently tied to an abandoned red motorcycle. No one was hurt in the explosion. Authorities are still investigating the incident as of press time.

Dominguez was said to have been shaken by the explosion but was unhurt. He readily went to the provincial police office to report the incident.

On Sunday evening, six armed men on board three vehicles also tried to ambush the mayor of Glan town. The attempted ambush was however foiled when the mayor and his team sped away from the suspects.

Glan Mayor Yoyong Yap’s vehicle was reportedly blocked by three vehicles in Barangay Pangyan at 10:58 p.m. of April 25. Yap, however, overtook the suspects’ vehicles and immediately called for police assistance.

The police rushed to area and accosted the six suspects who are now detained at the Glan Police precinct. It was learned that the six suspects are from Zamboanga and General Santos City. Two vehicles with plate number RBR 709 and MDM 577 were also seized by the authorities along with an Armalite rifle and one .45 caliber pistol.

Mayor Yap is running for reelection under the Lakas-Kampi-CMD. His rival for the position is Sarangani board member Tata Yap who is a cousin and running under the Nacionalista Party (NP) alongside boxing champ Manny Pacquiao who is seeking the congressional post.

In Surigao del Sur, suspected communist rebels reportedly disarmed the security personnel of a mayoral candidate of Bislig City.

The incident came a day after alleged members of the New People's Army (NPA) also disarmed a son of a mayoral candidate in Claveria, Misamis Oriental.

There was no reported injured in what officials described to be harassment of the NPA against Bislig City reelectionist Mayor Alberto Tan in a remote area in his turf.

Chief Inspector Nelly Villagarcia, information officer of the CARAGA Region Police, said the convoy of Tan were heading toward Barangay San Roque for a campaign rally in Sitio Mamparasan at around 1:30 a.m. last Saturday when some 100 communist rebels blocked their path along Road 13 in Bislig City.

“Accordingly, the CT's (communist terrorists) questioned the Mayor why he utilized the Philippine Army personnel as his advance security in the said area,” said Villagarcia.

“Further information revealed that the CT's allegedly disarmed the civilian personnel/back-up of the said candidate,” she added.

Local investigators said the same incident happened on Reagan Salvaleon, son of Claveria, Misamis Oriental mayor Redentor Salvaleon.

The rebels reportedly set up a checkpoint in Barangay Pelaez on Friday where they blocked the vehicle of Salvaleon. The rebels took from him a Carbine and an M16 rifle.

Security officials said one of the main reasons why rebels are harassing local candidates is their failure to pay permit to campaign fee, such as in at least four cases of harassments against mayoralty candidates in Mindanao for the past weeks.

Meanwhile, eight people – a member of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) and seven suspected lawless MILF elements – were killed in separate skirmishes in the south, according to military reports.

In Davao del Sur, Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, 10th Infantry Division (10th ID) spokesman, said a CAFGU member was killed during a 20-minute firefight with Communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels reportedly doing extortion activities while actively campaigning in the village of Cocornon in Sta. Cruz town at around Sur 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

Garcia identified the fatality as Cafgu Danilo Tongon. Three others were wounded in the process.

The CAFGU squad, led by two soldiers, reportedly responded to the area after receiving information on the presence of NPAs who were then waiting for the money to be delivered by henchmen of a local politician as part of their extortion scheme guised as “permit to campaign” fee. The bandits were also reported to be openly campaign in the locality.

In Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, seven suspected lawless MILF elements were killed in a firefight with soldiers. The bodies of the slain bandits were abandoned by their fleeing comrades.

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Jr., Army spokesman, said aside from those killed, six more lawless MILF members were wounded during the clash, which also resulted in the recovery of seven M-16 armalite rifles and various war materiel.

Torres said reports reaching the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio revealed that troops belonging to the 45th Infantry Battallion, 5th Infantry Division led by 1Lt. Julius Ellezo were conducting security patrol in the area when they figured in a gun battle with some 60 lawless elements believed to be with the 105th base command of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces of the MILF under the command of “Commander Bravo.” (With reports from Aaron B. Recuenco and Elena L. Aben)