Grenade Explosion Rocks S. Philippine CityA grenade blast rocked early Friday morning the beauty parlor owned by the wife of a local election registrar in the southern Philippine city of Cebu, a TV report said.The country's leading TV news network ABS-CBN said Cebu City Board of Canvassers chairman Semaco Labata confirmed that his wife's beauty parlor for men and women was heavily damaged by the blast. Alejandro Lapined, Cebu City police chief, said he suspected that the blast could be election-related as the canvassing of vote returns continue at the Cebu Department Building. Earlier the Philippine military confirmed that violence linked to the May 14 mid-term elections already claimed 100 lives, making this year's polls the bloodiest in 15 years. The figures also showed that 141 were wounded in 203 election-related incidents since the election period started January 2. The election period ends June 14. The last time poll-related deaths reached a hundred was during the 1986 snap presidential elections. At lest 153 persons were reported killed in poll-related violence. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |