In the aftermath of the Hilongos, Leyte bombing, Second District Cong. Aristotle Aumentado urged the public to be vigilant against suspicious personalities amid “big activities” in the province.

Aumentado asked residents in Leyte-adjacent towns such as Ubay, Getafe and Bien Unido to report sightings of a man identified as Yusuf Macuto whose passport was posted in the lawmaker’s Facebook page.

Macuto is said to be a suspect in the December bombing at a plaza in Hilongos, Leyte and is likely to have made his way into Bohol, based on an intelligence report.

The official issued the warning as the feast of Sto. Niño, which is celebrated in the said towns, nears and is expected to gather large crowds in several activities.

Senior Insp. Vincent Dumaguing, Bohol Provincial Police Office spokesperson, had also noted the possibility of the alleged bomber’s presence in Bohol.

Dumaguing said that it is possible that the suspect may have fled to Bohol after the bombing in Leyte using a small boat or pump boat crossing the open route between the two provinces and entering through an island.

However, the police official noted that the intelligence report has not yet been confirmed as the BPPO through the Provincial Intelligence Branch conduct operations to verify the information.

On December 30, two successive explosions caused by improvised explosive devices hit a plaza near the municipal hall of Hilongos.

The incident left 34 wounded including a pregnant woman and a 7-year-old minor who were watching a boxing match organized for the town’s fiesta. (Rey Tutas)