Saturday, October 20, 2007 Army on alert amid mall blast
THE Fourth Infantry Division (4th ID) is stepping up its intelligence gathering amid Friday's explosion in a crowded shopping mall in Manila's financial district that killed eight people and injured several others.
Fourth ID spokesman Major Samuel Sagun said the military joins others in condemning the "acts of terrorism" that victimized many innocents.
"(We are) stepping up intelligence (gathering)," Sagun told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Local officials here voiced their condemnation of the incident and expressed their sympathy for the victims.
Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno said the attack was "devastating."
"I hope and pray that our fears are not true. The investigators must act with compelling dispatch to determine the cause of the blast and arrest and prosecute the perpetrators if any," he said.
Security was tightened at the weekly Nite Cafe in Divisoria, Cagayan de Oro where city residents gather, following reports of the Glorietta mall explosion.
Acting City Police Director Antonio Montalba said mobile units and Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) teams have been deployed to secure the area to prevent any untoward incidents.
Both the military and police have stepped up their security in both the city and province amid the onset of the local barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.
At about 1:30 p.m. Friday, a powerful blast rocked the Glorietta 2 mall in Makati. Eight people were killed while 70 others were wounded. (Stephen Capillas/With a report from Sunnex)
