A homemade bomb exploded in front of a grocery store in a southern Philippine city, but no one was hurt, the military said Sunday. The attack occurred on late Saturday in Cotabato City, 960 kilometers south of Manila, said Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Lucero. Lucero said the explosive device was made from a 60-millimetre mortar. "No casualties were reported, but the door of the store was damaged," he said. "Investigation is still ongoing but extortion could be a possible motive." No suspects have been identified, he added. Moslem and communist rebels have in the past attacked commercial establishments and companies that have refused to pay up monthly protection money or "revolutionary taxes".
