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Sunday, March 07, 2004
Blast rocks Globelines
* Six successive loud explosions were heard, revealed witnesses
TWO unidentified suspects lobbed a hand grenade and other improvised incendiary explosives at 2:30 a.m. Friday inside the compound of Globe Telecommunications Payments and Services Center at 27th Lacson St., Bacolod City.
Residents in the vicinity were awakened when the perpetrators, believed to be guerillas of the New People's Army (NPA), threw the molotov explosives while also firing their armalite rifles – causing alarm among the residents and even those living in the areas of Bat-us Calamba, in Barangay 1.
Six successive loud explosions were heard, witnesses told police investigators and firefighters from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) who responded to the scene of the blast.
A witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, further told investigators that one of the suspects sported a semi-bald hair type and stood about 5'5" in height.
The explosion that damaged the panel board of the generator, injured security guard on duty Reynaldo Genovia, 40, of VSM Security Agency.
Genovia was rushed to Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital and was declared out of danger as of press time Friday night.
The suspect, the witness further disclosed, exited from the area towards an unknown direction using a getaway vehicle.
Senior Insp. Jimmy Fortaleza, commander of Police Station 2, led the responding policemen together with the BFP recovered an improvised torch, a melted plastic water bottle, four bottles of accelerants containing wax mixed with gasoline, six live ammunition of an M-16 armalite rifle and a safety lever of a hand grenade from the scene of the explosion.
Although not confirming that the blast was a terrorist act from the NPA rebels, SPO2 Nilo Sumagaysay, investigator of Police Station 2, said the incident might be propaganda in order to create chaos in the city.
They (suspects) also want to alarm other businessmen in the province and city for them to pay revolutionary taxes, he said alluding to the acts of rebel groups of collecting revolutionary taxes.
Dismay
Probers, however, were dismayed over the reluctance of the Globe Telecoms officials to coordinate with their investigation.
Police were not even allowed to enter the Globe compound.
In a follow-up made by Sun.Star Bacolod, Globe officials refused to give any statement on the incident, except that they said they will wait for their central office in Manila or Visayas center in Cebu to issue an official statement.
Valdez said she leaves everything to the capability of the BCPO to handle the case.
Senior Supt. Mario Avenido, city police director, now leads the investigation.
Red Alert
Operatives of the Bacolod City Police Office and Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Noppo) were placed under heightened alert following the blast.
The Army also vowed to augment security measures within the city just to protect all major government installations and facilities.
Army Maj. Gulliver Señirez, spokesman of the 303rd Infantry Brigade in Minoyan, Murcia said they would augment security forces in Bacolod just to ensure no similar incident will happen again.
Señirez also disclosed that their intelligence and monitoring units in the city are now doing their job in order to identify and preempt any other terrorist attacks.
City's Explosive Ordinance Division is now conducting an in-depth investigation in determining the explosives used.
Policemen were also detailed to the area and were tasked to conduct round-the-clock patrol operations to ensure the people's safety against any terrorist attacks.
The city government, through Mayor Luzviminda Valdez, though assured the Bacolodnons and the business community that there should be no cause for alarm.
As to the issue that the NPAs were behind the blast, Valdez refused to comment.
Senior Supt. Vicente Ponteras, provincial police director, meanwhile, ordered police chiefs in different cities and municipalities to secure all vital installations to avoid any similar incident.
Ponteras said bridges, churches, malls, cell sites, public markets, oil depots and other places where people usually converge must be secured.
Isolated
Gov. Joseph Marañon appealed to Negrenses not to panic and just stay calm as he described the incident as an isolated case.
Last January, a similar incident happened when a Globe cell site was bombed in Barangay Balintawak, Escalante City in northern Negros.
A certain "Ka Dexter" admitted the bombing and revealed that it was because the Globe management refused to pay revolutionary taxes and their other demands.
The incident, meanwhile, happened also in time with the Ayala Business Club meeting at the L'Fisher Hotel in Bacolod Friday night.
Globe is one of the Ayala-Zobel business entities in the country.
Think twice
Roberto Montelibano, president of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), said potential investors who are eyeing to invest in the city may now think twice.
He also appealed to the media to downplay the news for it will only create tension in the city.
"It will be bad for the investment campaign of the city," Montelibano said.
The business community also appealed to the media not to sensationalize the report so as not to scare any potential investors coming in the city and other parts of the province. RLB/EASD/CCD/CMAP/CMH/AZA
(March 6, 2004 issue)
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