Task force to probe Jawo car blast

Police have created a task force to investigate the explosion that ripped apart the van of Pasig City Rep. Robert "Dodot" Jaworski Jr. last Tuesday.

Eastern Police District (EPD) director Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman said Task Force Avoni headed by Senior Superintendent Federico Terte was created to preside over the investigation of the incident.

Ticman said investigators have recovered five sacks of debris from Jaworski’s Toyota Innove van, which was burned after it exploded a few seconds after the lawmaker, his brother Ryan and their driver leaped from the vehicle.

"We are still sifting through the recovered evidence to determine whether there are bomb parts," Ticman told a press briefing yesterday.

Ticman said the investigation would be over today but it would take "a few more days" before the results of the probe would be released.

"Our investigations are still ongoing. Maybe in a few days we would have new leads in the case," he said.

Initial investigation revealed the chassis of the van was broken, bolstering suspicions that an explosive was planted.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), for its part, is also conducting a parallel investigation, focusing on the attempt against the life of Jaworski.

NBI Director Nestor Mantaring said he had tasked Regional Director Ruel Lasala of National Capital Region Division (NCRD) to head the investigation.

Lasala added he would request the NBI’s Anti-Terrorism Division (ATD) led by Romulo Asis to determine the cause of explosion.

He said the NBI probe would be coordinated with the police task force.

Ticman, on the other hand, said they are not in a hurry to conclude the investigation.

"The Task Force has no deadline to solve the case. They will report to my office daily the progress of their investigation," he said.

Jaworski, his younger brother Ryan and their driver Romy Seles narrowly escaped injury after jumping out of their vehicle, which exploded along C-5 highway in Pasig City Tuesday.

Jaworski said they initially noticed smoke coming out from their van (ZDA-660) and immediately pulled over before it exploded.

The Pasig lawmaker told a news conference at the House of Representatives of his belief that someone is behind the attempt on his life.

He also refused to believe initial reports that the explosion might have been caused by faulty electrical wiring in the vehicle.

Jaworski’s bodyguard Romeo Gamuza said they were trailing the congressman when his colleague Renato Deceles noticed smoke coming out from the lower part of vehicle.

Gamuza said Deceles told them to stop and help Jaworski transfer to any of the two backup vehicles.

Shortly after the Jaworskis and Seles got out of the van and scampered to safety, the vehicle exploded.

Firefighters from the Pasig City fire department and Kapasigan Fire Volunteers responded to the scene to put out the blaze.

Ticman said investigators also recovered several empty shells from M-16 rifle and .9 mm cartridges from the scene, confirming earlier reports that Jaworski’s bodyguards fired warning shots in their attempt to scare off supposed attackers.

The bodyguard had initially suspected Jaworski and his party were being attacked.

Police said they are investigating Jaworski’s claim that he was the target of an assassination attempt.

Jaworski also hinted the explosive could have been planted while they were attending a wake in Barangay Pineda.

Jaworski, the son and namesake of basketball legend and former senator Robert Jaworski, has made it known he would run as mayor of Pasig City in the midterm elections next year.

He would run against Pasig City councilor Bobby Eusebio, son of incumbent Mayor Vicente Eusebio who is facing charges for his alleged involvement over the controversial "shabu tiangge" in the city.

The Pasig congressman initiated a congressional investigation last month over the discovery of the drug den that also probed the demolition of the raided shabu market allegedly ordered by Eusebio.

The Interior Department had stripped Eusebio of his power to oversee the Pasig police.

Mayor Eusebio, on the other hand, claimed Jaworski is resorting to political gimmickry to gain public sympathy.

"Why is it Jaworski keeps blaming us for every bad incident occurring in the city?" Eusebio said.

Eusebio lamented it would be next to impossible for somebody to plant the bomb on Jaworski’s car considering the Pasig lawmaker is constantly surrounded by armed bodyguards in an area heavily populated.

"It would be impossible for someone to come close to the van considering the presence of armed bodyguards at the place he visited where there are so many people," Eusebio said.

Eusebio said he had ordered city police chief Senior Superintendent Francisco Uyami to submit an investigation report over the incident.

"He (Uyami) should get to the bottom of the incident," he said.

Eusebio also assured Jaworski and his family of the efforts to ensure their safety.

"I am deeply saddened with what happened... we have all the reason to be thankful for they are all safe and sound despite the car they were riding was heavily-damaged due to the incident," Eusebio said. - with Evelyn Macairan