At least 12 people were killed and 40 others wounded when a bomb exploded in the southern Philippines on Sunday afternoon, police said.  

The improvised bomb exploded around 4:00 pm local time (0800 GMT) at an open basketball court located at the town plaza of Parang, Maguindanao Province, which was an assassination attempt against town mayor Vivencio Bataga, the ABS-CBN news channel quoted local police director Colonel Isnaji Bantala as saying.

Bataga, who was among the wounded, had just delivered a speech prior to the start of the basketball match and was about to leave the venue when the bomb exploded, police said.

Many of the victims were rushed to various hospitals to the nearby city of Cotabato.

Bantala said the bomb was planted at a motorcycle parked near the basketball court, and the bombing may be politically-motivated.

No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the explosion at press time as the investigation is still going on.

Bataga, a former army colonel who is seeking reelection in the May 2004 polls, reportedly survived at least three assassination attempts last year which he blamed on his political enemies.

(Xinhua News Agency January 5, 2004)