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Wednesday, March 05, 2003
Police placed on nationwide alert
CEBU -- Police units all over the country were put on full alert, as ordered by PNP Chief Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., following the bombing at Davao City airport Tuesday.
President Arroyo sent Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes and Interior Secretary Jose Lina to Davao to oversee the government response to the bombing, the second against an airport in Mindanao in less than two weeks.
Arroyo also called for an emergency meeting of the Cabinet oversight committee on internal security, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.
US President George W. Bush denounced the deadly bombing and will work “shoulder to shoulder” with the Philippine Government to hunt down the perpetrators, the White House said.
“The president condemns the bombing in the Philippines,” spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters after the powerful bomb attack at the busiest airport in the rebellion-torn southern Philippines.
“The United States will work shoulder to shoulder with the Philippine Government to make certain that those responsible are brought to justice,” said Fleischer.
An American national was among those killed in the blast at the Davao airport. Three other Americans were also injured.
Separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, blamed in the car bombing of Cotabato airport last Feb. 20 that killed one person and left six others injured, condemned the Davao bombing and denied responsibility.
“We are expressing our willingness to coordinate in any investigation for the purpose of determining the real culprits in this bombing,” MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said in a radio interview. He said the 12,500-member group only attacked “military targets.”
Mindanao’s large cities, including Davao, were without electricity earlier yesterday in suspected MILF sabotage attacks.
In Cebu, Supt. Augusto Marquez, Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division 7 chief, called on people to be patient whenever bags have to be checked or checkpoints set up on roads.
“Please bear with us because this is for our own good. We are not taking this for granted,” he said.
Marquez also called on the public to report to the nearest police stations any suspicious-looking individuals or any indications of the presence of terrorists. (AFP)/GC
(March 5, 2003 issue)
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US president condemns deadly RP bombing