Twenty-two people were injured after two motorcycle-riding suspects lobbed a fragmentation grenade along a roadside in Barangay Dalapitan, Matalam, Cotabato on 01 January 2026.

The suspects allegedly threw the grenade before fleeing in an unknown direction, prompting police to launch a province-wide manhunt.

North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Mendoza issued a statement on the same day, condemning the attack and assuring the public that justice would be served to the victims.

“Violence has no place in the province. Those responsible should be brought before the bar of justice,” she said in a statement Thursday.

Mendoza also said the provincial government is attending to the medical needs of those affected, most of whom are children who sustained shrapnel wounds.

“The Provincial Government assured immediate assistance to the victims and cooperation with authorities to identify and hold accountable those behind this crime,” she added.