Explosion at Gym Kills 11 and Wounds 68
A powerful blast ripped through a southern Philippine gymnasium packed for a basketball game, killing at least 11 people and injuring 68, including the town mayor, authorities said.
Vivencio Bataga, the mayor of Parang, told reporters from a hospital bed that the attack was aimed at him.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack. Bataga, a former army officer, has survived several assassination attempts. Besides fighting drug dealers in Parang, about 600 miles south of Manila, he is also a vocal critic of Muslim guerrillas in the area.
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