MANILA -- Kusug Tausug Partylist Representative Shernee Tan decried Tuesday, September 6, the alleged attempt to plant explosives in her car inside the House of Representatives complex.
In her privilege speech on Tuesday’s plenary session, Tan said there was an attempt to forcibly open her car Monday evening, as she noticed that the rubber gasket at the right side car door was destroyed.
Tan noted that the culprit has familiarity with all the areas within the premise, even the locations of closed circuit television (CCTVs) cameras, since the perpetrator was not seen in any CCTV footages.
The Philippine National Police has already ruled out carnapping or theft as probable motives.
“The culprit may have intended to embed or plant an improvised explosive under the front seat of my car, where I usually sit,” she said.
“This unfortunate incident once more dramatizes the state of security in our workplace as I call attention to the overriding need for the strict implementation of security measures here in the House of the people,” she added.
Tan recalled the Batasan blast on November 13, 2007, which killed at least five people including Representative Wahab Akbar, and injured a dozen others.
She said that while the alleged perpetrators were killed in a raid near the Batasan area, the masterminds remained “scot-free.”
The Department of Justice junked the multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder charges against the suspected masterminds in 2008 and the other suspect was cleared by the Supreme Court in 2013.
“Our country has been in jittery since the recent bloody bombing in Davao City and also with the on-going intense military operations against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu,” Tan said.
“We cannot therefore discount the possibility that the mastermind or masterminds in last night’s incident intended to ride on the Abu Sayyaf fever,” she added.
The lawmaker sought for a thorough investigation of the incident. (PNA)