Unidentified men lobbed a bomb at a bakeshop owned by incumbent Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas before dawn Monday, wounding a security guard manning the area after the explosive device went off.

Iloilo City Police Chief, Senior Superintendent Melvin Moncal, said his men are now investigating the incident to determine the motive of the culprits although he immediately ruled out local politics as a reason for the bomb-hurling.

"No politics,” said Moncal in a phone interview. “I believe this is more of a criminal incident."

The city police official said he suspects that the incident was a form of retaliation after his men arrested a band of robbers who stole personal valuables from a car parked in front of the bakeshop.

"We recovered the stolen items, including a laptop, and arrested the suspects who, we learned came all the way from General Santos City,” Moncal informed.

The blast occurred near the house of Trenas who is eyeing a congressional seat in this year's elections.

Quoting field reports, Moncal said the improvised explosive material was hurled in front of the bakeshop located in Barangay Dungon at around 2:30 a.m.

He said the bomb exploded at the parking lot of the bakeshop, injuring security guard Marlo Ganancial who was taken to the Western Visayas Hospital.

"The main door of the bakeshop was totally damaged as a result of the explosion," said Moncal, adding that “we are still conducting post-blast investigation to determine the type of explosive used.”

Recently, a former local official, Luis Mondia, who had been running for mayor in Pulupundan, Negros Occidental was shot dead in front of the Jaro City cathedral.

The perpetrators of Mondia has yet to be apprehended by the authorities.