5 hurt in Davao grenade blast

DAVAO CITY – Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has ordered an investigation into a grenade blast in Barangay Calinan on Thursday afternoon that left five persons wounded.

Carpio assured the public that the explosion was an isolated incident.

“There is no reason to worry about the security in Davao City,” she said.

Initial investigation showed Nicanor Pepito, chairman of Barangay Lamanan, was in a multicab with other village officials when unidentified men lobbed a hand grenade at the vehicle.

Pepito caught the grenade and tossed it away from the vehicle before it exploded.

The injured were identified as Argie Balele, 29; Jayson Agiw, 20; Jose Entero, 44, Juveto Cozepiriano, 30, and Antonio Jarantilla, 35. They remain confined at the Brokenshire Hospital.