Senate summons Ayala Land president on Glorietta blast

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate summoned yesterday Jaime Ayala, president and chief executive officer of Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), and other company officials to shed light on the investigation of the explosion at the Glorietta 2 shopping mall on Oct. 19, 2007 in Makati, where 11 people were killed and scores injured.

Senators Gregorio Honasan and Rodolfo Biazon Jr., chairmen of the Senate committees on public order and illegal drugs, and national defense and security, have scheduled the first public hearing on the Glorietta blast based on resolutions filed by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. The hearing will start at 10 a.m. today at the Sen. Claro M. Recto room.

Also invited to attend the hearing were Emelio Tumbocon, president of Ayala Property Management Corp.; Peter Ng, president of Makati Supermarket Corp. and Benigno Marquez, president of the Marchem Industrial Sales and Services Inc.

The Ayala Group is expected to have a confrontation with Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno and top police officials led by Philippine National Police chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr., since both camps have different explanations on what caused the explosion at Glorietta 2.

The Ayala Group had disputed the PNP’s claims that the explosion was an accident caused by the accumulation of methane gas in the sewage system at the basement of the mall.

Trillanes filed resolution 174 directing the committee on public order and illegal drugs and other appropriate committees to inquire, investigate and look into, in aid of legislation, the Glorietta blast.

The senator claimed then to have received information that National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. may have had a hand in the blast.

Trillanes, who remains under military custody on coup d’etat charges, was also quoted as saying that he got information that the bomb was planted in the vicinity of Glorietta.

Enrile, for his part, called for the Senate inquiry in a bid to recommend immediate remedial measures to safeguard public safety more effectively.

Aside from Puno and Razon, also invited to the Senate inquiry are Gonzales, Esperon, National Capital Region Police Office commander Director Geary Barias, Southern Police District director Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman, PNP Crime Laboratory director Chief Superintendent Arturo Cacdac, Superintendent Albert Ignatius Ferro who heads the PNP Bomb Data Center under the PNP-Director for Operations, and Fire Superintendent Fennimore Jaudian who heads the Inter-Agency Anti-Arson Task Force Composite Team of the Bureau of Fire Protection.

The Senate also sent an invitation to lawyer Ruel Lasala, deputy director of the National Bureau of Investigation.