Hunt on for suspects in grenade attack at Maguindanao del Sur bet’s home

BLAST SITE. A soldier inspects the area outside the main gate of vice-gubernatorial candidate Ustadz Hisham Nando’s residence in Barangay Poblacion, Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur, following a grenade explosion on Sunday night (May 4, 2025). The blast left a crater near the road entrance, but no injuries were reported. (Photo courtesy of Buluan PNP)

COTABATO CITY — Police and military forces have launched a joint manhunt for suspects behind a grenade explosion outside the residence of Maguindanao del Sur vice-gubernatorial candidate Ustadz Hisham Nando in Buluan town on Sunday night.

Lt. Dean Carlo Macusi, chief of the Buluan municipal police, said the blast occurred at around 9 p.m. near the gate of Nando’s residential compound in Barangay Poblacion.

No one was hurt in the incident.

“Nando and his family members or security personnel were unharmed,” Macusi told reporters on Monday.

He said investigators are reviewing footage from security cameras installed in the area.

Nando, an Islamic religious leader, is running under the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the political arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Police initial findings suggest the explosion may have come from a rifle grenade projectile fired from a distance.

Explosive ordnance experts continue to examine the blast site, which left a crater roughly 20 meters from Nando’s house.

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a statement, the UBJP condemned the incident, calling it an act of political harassment.

“They want to silence our candidates with these dirty tactics,” the party said.

Buluan, the provincial capital, has been placed under Commission on Elections (Comelec) control amid heightened tensions and violence in the lead-up to next week’s polls.

Macusi said local security forces remain on alert, with efforts underway to determine the motive and identities of the attackers.

The blast came more than two weeks after three explosions hit Buluan on April 18, including two inside the municipal compound and one outside a water refilling station in Barangay Poblacion.

One of the blasts damaged a parked vehicle.