PNP welcomes inputs by Ayala Land experts
The Philippine National Police (PNP) remained unfazed yesterday by findings of experts hired by Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) that discounted the possibility a methane gas leak caused the explosion at Glorietta 2 shopping mall that left 11 persons dead and wounded scores of others last Oct. 19 in Makati City.
Metro Manila Police chief Director Geary Barias welcomed the initiatives of ALI to hire experts who could help establish the cause of the blast.
“We welcome that (investigation by experts hired by ALI), we will use that as an input to our investigation,” said Barias in a briefing at the PNP Press Office in Camp Crame, Quezon City yesterday morning.
Barias reiterated that the Multi-Agency Investigation Task Force (MAITF) is considering all angles in the investigation of the explosion, including the possibility of terrorism.
Barias instructed bomb experts from the PNP
He said task force members will return to the basement to recover a submersible pump, which was allegedly installed as an alternate to the automatic pumps of the mall’s septic tanks. He earlier noted the submersible pump could have been the source of the spark that ignited the methane gas that had allegedly accumulated in the basement.
He is optimistic that the
Meanwhile, The STAR gathered that investigators, who were going down the basement of Glorietta 2, could not stay longer than 20 minutes because of the methane gas in the area.
“The maximum time that a person can stay there (basement) with the presence of gas is for 30 minutes or else he would die,” said a source.
However, the source said the MAITF would still wait for the investigation report from the experts hired by the ALI.
Experts from
Although they have not yet finished the investigation, Barias said people who want to question the credibility of their investigation can bring the matter to court.
“We have a forum to question our credibility, the credibility of our witnesses, the pieces of evidence gathered in the course of the investigation, that is the court,” Barias said. “I am very sure that whoever will be the accused in this case, they will have very good lawyers to scrutinize the method of the investigation, the credibility of our investigators, the pieces of evidence.”
Barias also dared a certain Ronald Ramos, alias Abdul Rahman, a source of detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, to back up the senator’s claims that National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon were behind the Oct. 19 blast.
Malacañang also assured the public that the PNP has conducted a thorough and scientific probe of the Glorietta 2 incident.
“The President’s instructions (to the PNP) were to leave no stone unturned in the investigation,” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said.
President Arroyo convened the National Security Council last Oct. 23 where investigators first disclosed that the accident theory appeared to be the most likely.
The military had also expressed support to the findings of the police that the Glorietta 2 explosion was an industrial accident.
Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, AFP Public Information Office (PIO) chief, debunked the claim of Abdul Rahman that a combined team of police and military personnel planted the bomb at Glorietta 2.
“We are leaving this for the witness to prove his allegations. Let him substantiate his claims at the proper forum,” Bacarro said.
Rahman claimed that he conducted a month-long surveillance of Glorietta 2 before another team planted the bomb.
He also identified several police and military officials who were allegedly involved in the planning of the bombing.
Bacarro said Rahman’s claims are all lies since the AFP has full control of its personnel. - With Paolo Romero, Jaime Laude
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