EDITORIAL — Find them, neutralize them

It’s easy to point the finger of blame. Until authorities capture those responsible for the recent spate of bombings in Metro Manila and President’s Arroyo’s hometown of Lubao in Pampanga, both the administration and the opposition will continue to engage in finger-pointing, with the public unable to decide which camp to believe.

Yesterday Malacañang continued to accuse anti-government groups of staging the bomb attacks as part of destabilization efforts. The attacks, Palace officials said, were part of desperate attempts to set back growing political stability in the country. Opposition groups have dared the administration to prove its claims. Some groups have also accused the administration of staging the attacks to lay the groundwork for repressive measures.

Because of the manner of the attacks, both camps have believers. As government officials have pointed out, the bombings are not meant to kill or injure people or cause extensive damage to property, but merely to scare. This is not the style of communist rebels or Muslim separatists. It is definitely not the modus operandi of Islamist extremists, who always go for the biggest body count possible.

A previously unheard-of group calling itself the Taong Bayan at Kawal has claimed responsibility for the bombings in Metro Manila and in the Lubao mansion of Bong Pineda, who has been investigated by the Senate on allegations that he is one of the country’s biggest jueteng lords. The group, in a statement, claimed to be fighting the administration and its supporters such as Pineda. The group might be telling the truth, but the only way to know for sure is to find those responsible for the attacks. For now no one has been injured in the bombings, but one mistake and this can quickly change. If Malacañang is correct, catching the culprits is the best way for the government to prove that there are people who are resorting to violence to advance their cause.