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Friday, March 12, 2004
Arroyo calls for more vigilance after 'cowardly attack' in Spain (2nd update; 12:22 p.m.)
MANILA -- President Arroyo called for heightened vigilance both here and abroad following the deadly bomb blasts in Madrid which she condemned as a "dastardly, cowardly attack."
"I join the whole of humanity in expressing our outrage over this incident and our grief to the families of the victims," Arroyo said.
"Once more, this incident marks the ferocity and randomness by which terrorism strikes. We must and shall never let our guard down especially at a time when democracy is undergoing tests in various places of the world," the president added.
The Philippine foreign office earlier condemned, "in the strongest possible terms this dastardly and cowardly attack against innocent civilians," referring to the bomb blasts in the Spanish capital that killed at least 192 people and wounded about 1,400.
"We hope that those injured will recover safely and that the perpetrators of this terrorist attack will be brought to justice," Foreign Sec. Delia Albert said in a statement.
Arroyo said the Philippine embassy was checking if any of the estimated 20,000 Filipinos in the city might have been hurt in the explosions.
Foreign affairs spokeswoman Julia Heideman said there were still no reports of any Filipinos being hurt in the bombings. AFP |
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