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Thursday, November 15, 2007
Batasan blast death toll rises to 4
* PNP chief said Akbar a possible target of the attack
MANILA -– The death toll of the explosion at the House of Representatives increased to four Wednesday.
An aide of late Basilan Representative Wahab Akbar who was seriously injured during Tuesday night’s blast died on Wednesday afternoon at St. Luke’s Medical Center.
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Based on the official information released by the House, Hayudini Julasiri became the fourth casualty of the horrible bombing that happened at South lobby of the Batasan complex in Quezon City at 8:07 p.m. Tuesday.
Aside from Akbar and Hayudini, two other persons -- Marcial Tandoc, driver of Gabriela party-list Representative Luz Ilagan, and Maan Gale Abustanillo, staff of Negros Oriental Representative Pryde Henry Teves -- also died in the incident.
Both Ilagan and Teves were among those injured and are recovering at St. Luke’s Hospital.
Akbar died late Tuesday night while being revived at the Far Eastern University Medical Center in Fairview, Quezon City. He was buried Wednesday in his hometown in Basilan.
Tagged as one of the founders of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, Akbar was accused of being the coddler of the bandits who ambushed 14 Marines, 10 of whom were beheaded, last July 10 in Al-Barka town (formerly known as Tipo-Tipo) in Basilan.
Akbar’s staff member Kim Nar was also among those badly injured and rushed to nearby hospitals.
The late congressman’s nearly-charred body was already laid to rest in his province Basilan in accordance with Muslim tradition and beliefs.
Parked motorcycle
Police said the bomb used in the attack was attached to a parked motorcycle.
“According to our post-blast investigators, that is where the IED (improvised explosives device) was placed,” said Task Force Batasan chief investigator Magtanggol Gatdula, who is the concurrent director of the Quezon City Police District.
Gatdula said the motorcycle was parked near the site of the explosion. He said the body number and the engine number of the Honda XRS 125 motorcycle used in the explosion were tampered. “But we were able to get a barcode so our Soco (Scene of the Crime Office) policemen can check this with Honda,” he said.
He said they were able to interview the House sergeant-at-arms, retired General Bayani Fabic, after the explosion “and he (Fabic) said they are not so strict in motorcycles coming in the Batasan complex because most of employees use motorcycles.”
PNP Chief Avelino Razon Jr., for his part, said: “We now have the evidence of a bomb, the cell phone, pieces of nails used as the shrapnel of the bomb. The motorcycle where the bomb was placed was parked near the wall.”
When asked if the attack was related to earlier reports about the threat to the life of Akbar, Razon said: “We’re looking at that angle. We’re not totally saying he is the target. We need to get more evidence. We are now in the process of ascertaining threats of Congressman Akbar.”
But Razon said it was possible that the real target of the blast was Akbar. “First of all, his proximity to the blast site,” he said when asked what are among the indications that would tend to prove that Akbar was the real target of the attack.
He added: “But I would like to make it clear he may not be the only target. We are also checking if (Negros Oriental Representative Henry) Teves, (Gabriela party-list Representative Luzviminda) Ilagan could be targets also.”
Direct attack
Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said authorities are looking more at the angle of a “direct attack” on Akbar rather than a terrorist attack on the House.
“The focus of the investigation is the apparent situation where there was an assassination on a public official. We are reassuring the general public that we are considering this as a violent attack on specific individuals and not on institutions. It was a direct violent attack on specific officials,” Puno said.
He said the reported threat against Akbar has been “evaluated and discussed for the past two weeks already now.” When he heard about the details of the attack, he said, “that was the immediate suspicion and it is still one of our strongest suspicions.”
“This is not yet a verified fact but the indications based on the way the attack was launched, leads one to conclude that it was aimed at specific individuals,” said Puno.
He said all congressmen have their respective security precautions but if anyone believes that they need government assistance, they could always avail of additional security by requesting the PNP chief.
Frivolous talk
Puno also dismissed rumors that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would be declaring martial law shortly after the blast.
“That’s frivolous talk. The focus of the investigation is the apparent situation where there was an assassination on a public official,” he said.
President Arroyo vowed to “hunt down” and “punish” the perpetrators of the blast. She also called on the people not to speculate on the motives behind the incident.
“Let me assure our friends here and abroad that the Philippines and your government shall not rest until we get to the bottom of this tragedy and hunt down and punish the perpetrators,” she said.
Arroyo ordered the PNP chief to personally oversee the investigation of this explosion, determine its cause and submit periodic reports “including immediate measures being taken to prevent any other destructive events.”
The President convened on Tuesday night the National Security Council executive committee to assess the security situation and institute immediate measures to address any threats.
“While police investigate the matter and heighten security, we ask the people to refrain from making speculations that will be harmful and cause divisiveness and fear,” Arroyo said.
She added: “Instead of passing the blame, let us stick together against threats to our peace.”
Reward fund
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said President Arroyo has put up a P5 million reward fund for information that could lead to the arrest of perpetrators of bombings, prevent the occurrence of such or lead to the confiscation of illegal explosives. He said the reward is not limited to the Batasan bombing incident.
Bunye said those with information should call or text the PNP hotline (0917)8475757.
Vice President Noli de Castro, in a statement, expressed sadness over what he called an “unfortunate incident at Batasan.”
“I condemn this criminal act in the highest manner possible. Lawlessness and violence should be condemned by all freedom loving Filipinos,” de Castro said.
He urged the public to avoid “any and all needless speculations” and allow the police investigators to do their work so as not to aggravate the volatility of the current situation.
Ordered relief
PNP chief Razon said he has ordered the relief of the entire team from Police Security and Protection Office (PSPO), which had been tasked to secure the Batasan complex. They have been replaced by personnel from the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF), he said.
“For your information, we have relieved the entire PSPO and changed with SAF team effective this morning (Wednesday) and that also goes with the contingency force in the Senate. We are looking at lapses. We have placed SAF as in-charge of the security in the House and in the Senate,” he said.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Chief Gerry Barias meanwhile said the cell phone they have recovered from the blast site is now being examined at the PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame.
“We have recovered a cellular phone at the blast site that might have been used as a detonator,” Barias said, adding that improvised explosive device can be detonated through remote control.
He said they are looking into the lapse in the security at the House, enabling the bombing on its building.
“The accountability falls on the security personnel that were guarding Congress. That is the first accountability and that is the reason why there has been an order to relieve the entire security detail at the House of Representatives. We will proceed from there,” he said.
A flea market located near the blast site might have given the perpetrators the opportunity to penetrate the Batasan complex, added Barias.
Red alert
Because of the explosion, Metro Manila policemen have been placed on a red alert status.
Aside from Metro Manila, authorities also ordered a similar status for its personnel in Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog regions.
Additional checkpoints were also set up in strategic areas in the metropolis while police secure vital government facilities, transportation hubs like the Metro Rail Transit and the Light Rail Transit and at shopping malls and other areas where people tend to congregate.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines-National Capital Region Command (AFP-NCRCom) headed by Major General Fernando Mesa has been placed on standby for additional security measures.
In Malacañang, security was tightened.
Jeepneys plying the San Miguel-Quiapo route were barred from entering the Arlegui gate and passing meters away from the main vehicle and pedestrian entrance to the Palace.
Commuters had to get off at the Petron gasoline station at the corner of Legarda and Arlegui streets and walk all the way to the Palace. The Arlegui gate is the closest gate to Malacañang from Manila’s Muslim area.
Taxis were also not allowed to enter the Arlegui gate. Private vehicles were subjected to inspection by members of the Presidential Security Group.
Palace officials said there are no changes in President Arroyo’s schedule, whether in the Philippines or abroad despite the blast.
Not concerned
Jose Concepcion III, Presidential consultant on entrepreneurship, said the business community is not concerned about the bombing at the Batasan complex, although he admitted that “it worries us to see this once in a while.”
“So far in the past events, I think the Philippine society has gotten used to all of this and I expect that the Philippine stock market should do fairly okay today and I believe that this will again disappear,” he said.
Concepcion said investor confidence will not be affected by the bombing, adding that the peso will break P40 to the dollar by next year and will hit even P37-38.
“The Philippines is really booming right now, so anything like this is going to disturb the confidence but I think you’ll need more than this to really destroy the momentum that we have right now,” he added.
At the Senate, Senators Francis Pangilinan, Rodolfo Biazon, and Loren Legarda condemned the latest bombing in Metro Manila and warned of anti-democratic forces behind the attack.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also condemned the Batasan bombing.
Pampanga Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, head of the CBCP commission on family and life, asserted that what transpired in Congress is definitely an act of “terrorism.”
He said whoever perpetrated the crime have no “conscience” because several innocent civilian were killed and affected.
Meanwhile, Makati mayor and United Opposition (UNO) president Jejomar Binay said: “We hope that this tragic event will not again be used as a platform to push a besieged Congress into supporting measures that could lead to a curtailment of civil liberties in the country.”
At the same time, Binay said the attack should not also be used as an excuse to postpone the investigation on scandals hounding the Arroyo administration.
“This event, tragic as it is should not be used to appeal for a ceasefire in the ongoing investigations on the Malacañang bribery scandal and the anomalous National Broadband Network deal with China’s ZTE Corporation,” he added. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (November 15, 2007 issue)
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