Police in Sultan Kudarat said a ‘‘loud explosion’’ on Wednesday rocked a chicken restaurant a few minutes after 3 p.m. in Barangay Kalawag 2 in Isulan town, leaving several people injured.
A local disaster office said at least 18 people were wounded, including six minors and a pregnant woman.
But according to Isulan Mayor Maritess Pallasigue, her office did not receive any threat prior to the blast.
“No, wala. Kahit ano wala. Walang threat, walang report. Kahit text messages wala sa amin,” she said. (No, nothing. We received nothing, no threat, no report. Not even text messages to us.)
“Generally our place is peaceful. I don’t know what happened, why this is happening in our place,” she added.
Due to the explosion, the mayor said she had ordered tighter security measures to be enforced in the area.
Meanwhile, supporters of two candidates running for mayor of Salvador town in Lanao del Norte engaged in a scuffle during a sortie on Wednesday.
The warring groups exchanged gunshots, which left four persons hurt.
Police Major Glyndo Pujanes said the motorcade of mayoralty candidate Bebot Umpa was passing along the municipal hall, where supporters of rival bet Farhanie Tawan Tawan were present.
The rival camps reportedly engaged in a shouting match that led to a commotion. Shots were also fired from both groups.
Authorities said they are now investigating the incident.