'Metro Manila bombs part of 'destab trend' before SONA'
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/01/2009 12:16 PM
Printer-friendly version | 
Send to friend | 
Share your views
MANILA - The bomb blast at the Office of the Ombudsman compound and the discovery of two more bombs in Quezon City is part of a "destabilization plot trend" that usually comes up before the President's State of the Nation Address (SONA), a military spokesman said Wednesday.
"Usually before the SONA we hear destabilization rumors with different means. In recent years, there are bomb attacks and there are instances that we recover bombs," Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. told radio dzMM.
Brawner said the bomb attack at the Ombudsman compound and the discovery of two bombs at the compound of the Department of Agriculture and the One Burgundy Plaza, all located in Quezon City, might be part of the trend.
He said the military and the police have suspected groups responsible in past attempts, but could not make arrests due to lack of hard evidence.
Brawner said that based on initial results of the police's ordnance investigations, the three bombs were all made of the military explosive C-4 and were all "amateurly” constructed.
"It was probably done that way to put the blame on the military or any other group," he said.
He said the military explosive is also available in the black market, which makes it accessible to non-military personalities who may be responsible in the Ombudsman bombing.
Opposition, administration
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday that the administration has everything to gain from the series of bombing attempts in Metro Manila.
Lacson said the bombing attempts might be part of a greater plan to instill fear to justify emergency rule.
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, also a member of the political opposition, said the bombing attempts gives authorities to impose a heightened alert status in Metro Manila which may be part of a plan to clamp down on the opposition.
“These (police) deployments are not-too-subtle signals to the opposition that Mrs. Arroyo has the muscle to impose her will on the population,” Binay said.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said Mrs. Arroyo remained unperturbed by the turn of events, which, he said, has become “seasonal” whenever the President is about to deliver her SONA.
Mrs. Arroyo will deliver her 9th SONA on July 27.
“The President is always aware of these things,” Remonde told a news briefing at Malacañang. “The President does not allow other political intrigue to distract her from her work.”
Remonde said intelligence officials confirmed the bombing attacks and rumors circulating of another coup attempt were “scripted to create a scenario to make it appear that the President wants to hang on to power by declaring martial law or by not holding elections.”
“And then create this ghost and try to use this as rallying point in order to attract massive demonstration… and they are intensifying agitation propaganda, like rumors, news, intrigues to anger the people,” he said. -- With a report from the Philippine Star
Comments