Archbishop appeals for prayers after bombings - World - Orlando Quevedo - Brief Article

National Catholic Reporter, Nov 1, 2002

PHILIPPINES: The president of the Philippine bishops' conference has appealed for prayers and justice after bombings in southern Mindanao. Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato issued his written appeal Oct. 18, the day after two bombs exploded in department stores in Zamboanga City, about 530 miles southeast of Manila. The bombings left seven dead and more than 150 wounded, In a separate incident, a bomb ripped through a bus in Manila Oct. 18, killing at least three people and injuring 20 others.

Quevedo said that after the bombings Catholic religious leaders prayed with other religious leaders, including Muslims and Hindus, for an end to "the senseless and brutal violence." Quevedo directed the bishops' Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace to help the Zamboanga victims.

Philippine Armed Forces Lt. Col. Danilo Servando said the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf based on Basilan Island, south of Zamboanga, is the military's primary suspect in the Oct. 17 bombings. Servando said Abu Sayyaf, which is fighting for an independent Muslim state, is suspected in the Oct. 17 bombings because the explosives used were similar to those in a blast earlier in the month in Zamboanga attributed to the group.