V-Day bombings verdict out today

A Makati City regional trial court is set to decide today the fate of three men accused of participating in the bloody Valentine’s Day bus bombing this year.

The Department of Justice is confident that the three men — two Filipinos and an Indonesian — will be convicted, and President Arroyo herself may attend the promulgation at 2 p.m. in the sala of Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 60 Judge Marissa Guillen.

State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco, in an interview with The STAR, said he expects Guillen to convict alleged Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members Gamal Baharan, alias "Tapay," and Angelo Trinidad, alias "Abu Khalil," and suspected Indonesian terrorist Rohmat, also known as "Zacky."

"We are expecting a conviction for all," he said, also referring to ASG chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani, who allegedly ordered the bombing of an RRCG bus in Makati City last Feb. 14.

Four people were killed and more than 60 others were wounded in the almost-simultaneous explosios Makati and Davao and General Santos cities in Mindanao and made headlines abroad.

The prosecution depended mainly on the testimony of state witness Gappal Bannah Asali, alias "Boy Negro," who confessed to his role as the one who safeguarded the explosives used in the Valentine’s Day bombing.

The DOJ took in Asali, the least guilty among the accused, as its witness against Baharan, Trinidad, Rohmat and the ASG.

Asali, who admitted being an ASG member, said his conscience bothered him after seeing how the attack took the lives of innocent civilians and wounded many others.

Velasco, before the proceedings had gone full swing, asked the court to conduct a speedy trial and so managed to finish the presentation of all testimonies and evidence in less than five months.

Mrs. Arroyo "might attend today’s promulgation," Velasco said, adding there were reports that the ASG was allegedly trying to launch another attack.

"We expect retaliation from them. In fact, we have received intelligence reports that they are planning to launch bombings before or after the promulgation," he said.

The planned attacks, according to Velasco, were apparently thwarted with the recent arrest of Hilarion del Rosario Santos at his house in San Jose Village in Zamboanga City.

Santos is an alleged leader of the radical Rajah Solaiman Movement, which reportedly has links with the al-Qaeda terrorist network. The RSM, according to government officials, had plans to bomb Metro Manila and other cities in the country.