November 7, 2007 | 12:00am
What do you know — the explosion at the Glorietta shopping mall might not have been an accident after all. Didn’t the chief of the Philippine National Police himself announce that methane and diesel fumes that had accumulated in the basement of the mall caused the massive blast? The PNP said preliminary findings of Australian and Israeli experts bolstered the theory that the explosion, which killed 11 people and wounded 120 others, was an accident.
Last Sunday Ayala Land Inc., which operates Glorietta, called a press conference to dispute the police version. Citing studies conducted by a biogas expert from the United Kingdom, ALI said methane could not have built up in the basement. After ALI called the press conference, police said the bombing angle had not yet been ruled out and that the findings of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation were still being awaited.
Earlier, the PNP also said faulty electrical wiring was being eyed in the blast. This type of flip-flopping raises questions about the capability of the nation to fight security threats. When a SuperFerry sank in Manila Bay following an explosion, leaving over a hundred people dead and more missing, PNP and maritime officials also declared the tragedy an accident. Over a year later, after the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group took responsibility for the bombing, the government announced that the case in fact was a terrorist attack.
Shortly after the Glorietta explosion, the government had announced that RDX, a substance used for manufacturing the military explosive C-4, had been found at the site. What has happened to this angle, and to the officer who reported finding the RDX?
Whoever is responsible, the truth must be ferreted out. The victims need justice, and the nation must be kept safe — whether from terrorists, political saboteurs or biogas buildup.
