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Wednesday, March 05, 2003
Suspect in airport blast came by bus?
By Ben O. Tesiorna
A MAN who could have been responsible for Tuesday's gruesome bombing of the Davao International Airport (DIA) which killed, as of presstime, 19 people and left 144 others injured could have disembarked from the Ecoland Overland Terminal one and a half hour before the explosion.
Unconfirmed reports revealed that the suspect disembarked from a bus coming from outside Davao City at around 3:45 p.m.
A man, about 5'5 feet tall, wearing maong pants, striped polo shirt and a
black backpack reportedly asked his fellow passenger "nakadungog ka na ba
sa buto sa bomba (have you ever heard a bomb blast?)."
"Kung wala pa, sige unya paminawa kay dunay mubuto na bomba (If you
haven't, just listen because a bomb will explode later)," the suspect
reportedly added shortly before disembarking from the bus.
In an interview last night, Chief Insp. Vicente Danao of the Talomo Police,
however, did not confirm this report.
He denied receiving bomb threat reports nor have they arrested a
suspicious-looking man inside the terminal as earlier reported.
He said they were merely implementing preventive measures when they
tightened security in and around the Ecoland terminal shortly after the
bomb explosion at the airport.
Danao ordered the closure of Ecoland Terminal's five gates, leaving only
one gate open for exit and another one for the entry of vehicles.
Police authorities also coordinated with bus companies to prohibit any
passengers and baggages to board the bus without going through inspection.
Bomb-sniffing dogs were also utilized as sizeable uniformed policemen were
seen in and around the terminal shorlty after the explosion at the airport.
More plainclothes policemen were believed to be deployed all over the
terminal.
Danao said he also dispersed some of his men at SM Davao to ensure that no
untoward incident would happen. He said their heightened security measure
in their area of responsibility will remain until peace and order is
restored. BOT
(March 5, 2003 issue)
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