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Saturday, June 23, 2007
Police set to sue Weena bus bomber
By Carlo P. Mallo
DAVAO CITY -- Police have identified the person behind the bombing of a bus in Bansalan, Davao del Sur and are preparing to file multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder cases against the suspect.
Querubin Manalang, Police Regional Office (PRO) information officer, said Friday that they would be filing the case next week.
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He did not identify the suspect or the suspect's whereabouts so as not to hamper ongoing police operations.
Manalang said they already have affidavits of witnesses who were able to identify the suspect.
Three witnesses have come out and pinpointed the suspect as the person who boarded the bus somewhere in Cotabato and who left the bag before disembarking in the terminal of Bansalan, Davao del Sur.
The suspect, according to Manalang, was already on the wanted list even before the bombing incident. Manalang said the suspect was already involved in previous bombing incidents in Mindanao.
Surveillance teams are already monitoring the suspect and ensuring that the he won't be able to disappear before his arrest.
Police are still determining if the blast was a case of extortion or terrorism. Manalang said terrorists can also be extortionists and that terror groups could be simply making their presence felt in the area.
A local terror group, the Alkobar Terror Group, has claimed responsibility for the bombing incident. But police are leery about the claim as it could just be a ploy to grab credit and mislead investigators.
Kidapawan City Mayor Rodolfo Y. Gantuangco said he could not believe police investigation reports stating the person who brought the bomb inside a Weena bus boarded the bus from Kidapawan.
"That's impossible. Very strict ang checkpoint natin and the entrance and exit points of the city are properly guarded," Gantuangco told Sun.Star Davao.
He said around 80 personnel from the police's Regional Mobile Group and Philippine Army augment security in vital city installations.
"Daghan tag nagabantay diri, labaw na sa mga terminals. Almost two years na nato na ginahimo, ug sukad gyud pud naglingkod ko (We have a lot of security personnel, especially in transport terminals. We have been doing this for almost two years now under my term)," Gantuangco said.
He also said bomb threats in the city are continuing up to the present.
"Dugay na na ug hangtud karon naa lang gihapon. Mura na gyud nig Davao, daghan kaayo ug threat sa either terrorism ug uban pa (The threats have been there for a long time now. Kidapawan has become like Davao, which is regularly threatened with acts of terror)," he said.
The bomb that exploded inside the Weena bus in Bansalan killed eight persons, including the bus driver and his helper.
Survivors claimed the bus helper noticed the bag and was bringing it out of the bus when it exploded. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (June 23, 2007 issue)
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