The latest news is C-4 bomb component used in Glorietta blast – PNP chemist and Glorietta death toll rises to 9. For its part, Makati blast a ‘terror act,’ military says: Leftists, rightists, extremists eyed.
After 24 hours of no groups coming forward to claim responsibility for the blast, ‘RSM spokesman’ owns up to Glorietta 2 blast although it’s far from being confirmed. What have come in, prior to this news, were denials: Abu Sayyaf denies hand in Makati bomb attack while MILF offers help in deadly blast probe.
All we know are slender clues to a whole that has yet to be literally pieced together: Investigators to scour Glorietta underground for blast clues.
The past is now. Perhaps it’s the part of me that constantly refers to the past, to make sense of the present, that draws me at this time, to the eyewitness accounts being published on line. The point when eyewitness bear witness to what they saw, where testimony makes the transition from an oral story to one written down, and thus, becomes a story that can enter history, is the point where journalism and history connect. Or perhaps it’s the need to keep yesterday’s events on a human scale, knowing it’s that scale that is the best antidote to whoever perpetrated the bombing.
So let us begin with the testimony.
Of Law and Badminton was there:
True enough, when we were on the third floor of Glorietta 2, we were able to find Toby’s. I told my friend to go there and make her purchase, while I would be browsing at the tiangge stores right outside. I was looking at the latest fashionable blouses, muttering to myself that I would never be able to pull them off. I still tried on one blouse, but to no avail. Hindi talaga bagay…shucks.
I received a text message from my friend at around 1:25 P.M., telling me that she was near Timezone waiting for me, but urging me to take my time. Immediately after I got her text, I tried to locate her. Not able to find her, I decided to call her up.
Just when the phone was ringing, I heard a very loud explosion nearby coupled with a very intense shake which felt like an Intensity 10 earthquake. I almost fell to the ground because of the impact! I felt like I was in twilight zone or something, as I watched debris falling everywhere and smoke billowing from behind. Suddenly, people were screaming and shouting and pushing me. I had no choice but to follow the crowd. I began to wonder whether my friend was safe and as I was about to call her up, I heard what seemed like another explosion. I froze for a second, terrified, not knowing where to go. At that very second, I felt terror grip my body, wondering if there were still several bombs about to go off, and wondering if we were running headlong into another bomb. I don’t know how my legs were able to function but before I knew it, I was walking straight into Landmark.
Thankfully, the guards removed the table and opened the doors wide in order to receive the big crowd emanating from Glorietta 2. As I stepped into what felt like safe ground, I received a call from my friend asking me where I was. I was relieved upon hearing her voice knowing that at least she was OK. I told her I was at Landmark and not to worry about me. I called up my husband to tell him what happened. Fortunately he was just nearby and that he would pick me up immediately. I couldn’t contact my friend anymore since the network (Globe) was already busy. Good thing there was no traffic in sending text messages. After texting her and knowing she was ok, and that her driver was about to pick her up, it was only at that moment that I suddenly felt relieved.
Cindy.cIndy.ciNdy.cinDy.cindY also relates,
Earlier that day we agreed to dine in Pizza Hut which was in the second floor of Glorietta 2. We proceeded to Pizza Hut and placed our orders. Moments later a loud bang was heard. I didn’t move thinking that it was nothing serious. I actually thought that it was some activity prepared by Glorietta. But the whole Glorietta trembled like there was an earthquake. The ceiling almost fell but luckily only small debris fell from the ceiling. My friend was pushing me to stand. Immediately I packed my things. We turned our heads and saw heavy white smoke outside the establishment. People were screaming and running away from the smoke. That was the time that I realized that it was an explosion and that it might not be the only one. We panicked! I grabbed my friend’s hand and we ran toward the escalators in the activity area. Pizza Hut was just about 20 meters away where the bombing happened. We were lucky that the direction of the bomb explosion was in the direction of Park Square and not toward the activity area. At the bottom of the escalator, some insulators of the mall can be found. Debris kept falling inside and the smoke was approaching the activity area. I told my friend to ran headed for SM. We ran and never looked back. People from SM didn’t know that there was a bombing incident at Glorietta. Later a group of women and security guards were screaming and running toward us. At that instant we ran to MRT station, bought tickets and finally got out of the place.
Welcome to my life! published her mother’s story:
On the way back to office, while on board the escalator, we heard a loud blast. I was stunned as I watched the ceiling of the floor below me collapse like domino tiles and orange plastic pipes started to fall too. I saw the sales girls from the collapsed stores running for their lives. I was thinking someone must have been killed down there. I was stunned and stood still on the moving escalator until my friend Milette hugged me and shouted, “RUN!”. It jolted me and made me realize that the floor in which we were in could also collapse. I grabbed her hand and ran as fast as I could to Landmark department store which is connected to the mall we came from. My heart was pounding. Our other friends got separated from us but we all made ourway safely back to office on foot.
flipflopping my way around town recounts that “there, but for the grace of God, go I,” feeling many people had:
Apparently, Mommy was also at Glorietta looking for the Baby Couture stall as she was supposed to buy a bag for her god daughter. Thank God for Mommy’s bad sense of direction, she somehow got lost and went the other way from where the stall was. (note: the Baby Couture is located at Glorietta 2 together with the other baby/kiddie shops at the 2nd floor). Then she heard a loud bang and felt the vibration. Thinking it must be an earthquake she entered Abensons and asked the salesman if she can stay there for safety. What scared her was when she saw a lot of people rushing out from the mall, some were hysterical, some were crying… then she heard some screaming “may bomba may bomba!” (there’s a bomb! there’s a bomb!).
There were those in the vicinity of the blast, as Bryanton Post relates:
Melissa, a friend whom I was supposed to meet last night, was eating in Via Mare in Landmark when the blast occurred. Had she decided to eat in Glorietta after a physical exam in one of the clinics there, she later told me, she would have been included among the casualties. The impact, she said, was so strong that it was even felt in Landmark. An earthquake, people around her kept saying. No, she said to herself. It felt more like the whole mall had just taken a roller coaster ride, she told me.
If that was even felt in Landmark, I can’t simply imagine the impact in Glorietta.
Another account is by O-C Mumzie, who was in a gym in the area:
Ten minutes behind schedule now, I focused on the remaining tasks on my to-do list. I hurried to the locker room to change, gather my things and check-out. And then it happened… the building rocked and the sound of exploding glass and screams rang out. Glorietta 2 had just been bombed. And then a second blast.
At that point, we didn’t know what it was. For some reason though, I feared the worse. My friend, Maricar, asked me what happened and I just said “I think it was a bomb”. I guess it was the screams that told me. We peered though the 3rd floor gym lobby and saw the security guard rolling down the steel partitions. Beyond, we could see thick clouds of smoke (we learned later was pulverized cement) billowing from inside the mall and the screams of terror became more audible. I heard the receptionist say the blast came from nearby Timezone. My God! The children! With that thought, I knew I had to focus and look after my own safety. It was a mother’s instinct in me that suddenly took control of my every move– I needed to be safe for my own children.
Immediately I helped Maricar take control. After gathering my things, I helped her clean out her locker and carried one of her bags. I told her we should exit though the ground floor of the gym that would lead us directly outside the mall and into an open park. In seconds, we were out and joined the hundreds already gathered in the safety of open ground. I called my husband, my kids, my sisters and friends who mattered to me most just to let them know I’m okay. My car was stranded ar the car park with my driver so my husband sent his driver to pick me up at the packed Starbucks at 6750.
But here’s a curious thing, which to me, will gain significance as the various eyewitness accounts are cross-checked and the specific circumstances begin to emerge. Take this account by As the world turns, who was there in Glorietta 2 at the time of the blast:
For the life of me, I couldn’t understand how I failed to feel the earthquake-like blast, as described by those interviewed in TV newscasts, in Glorietta 2 yesterday, when the rest of the people beside who were also there, watching from the second floor, not very far from the scene of the blast, those at the activity center below, running, scampering towards the exit doors. We were looking at each other wondering what was going on! We weren’t panicky, we were simply bewildered. What I heard were the ear-splitting squeaks of shutters and doors of shops and stores being shot and hurled down in hurried succession.
I took the escalator studiedly. I stayed and waited for a while at the ground floor where some mall security people were gathered trying to piece the information they got from their receivers, for news because I was curious. I wanted to know what was going on. I wanted to know if there was a fire because smoke filled the area. I asked a security guard what was that all about. He simply replied, “Ma’am, I do not have an official word yet, you are safe, please stay calm and walk towards the exit door carefully.” When I got out of the exit door facing the Shangri-la Hotel, all the people were politely and courteously requested by the security guards to cross towards the tent because they were sealing the perimeters off in and around Glorietta.
The smoke wafting out of the door smelled of gunpowder or firecrackers, I distinctly remember. I couldn’t leave the tent because it rained. Besides, the immediate surroundings were filled with cars – firetrucks, ambulance, private cars, police cars, news companies’, etc. The paths towards Landmark were completely sealed off.
gimmepeanutbutter wasn’t as close to the scene:
Kuya Tim and I arrived at the venue earlier than my calltime so we had to wait for a while. After around 30 minutes of staring into space, I suddenly heard something that sounded like thunder. I didn’t mind it at first–until people started running out of Glorietta. At this point I kinda got scared. I got even more nervous when the prod team started asking us if we were ready to run. Fortunately, we didn’t have to.
Meet Joebacs recounts,
Immediately after most of the food we ordered were already on our table, tragedy struck a few meters away. We didn’t actually hear anything. The glass window of the restaurant didn’t shake, no abnormal audible sound caught our ear. We only learned that something was amiss when throngs of people, literally, poured out onto the streets.
A lot of stories swirled, different accounts of what happened. The alleged location of the blast were quite varied. We thought the ceiling in one of the stores just caved in. We only learned about the seriousness of what transpired when we saw a teenager still in schock with a gash on her feet…
Some, like Yugatech, were spared the worst of it but were left bewildered like the Mall employees they encountered:
Since my car was parked at the underground of 6750, most of my encounters where with Glorietta employees still busy doing their jobs despite the rush and ensuing panic.
I asked the lady at the parking gate why they haven’t been let go for the day considering the imminent danger. She was wondering of the same thing too.
When I got out on the street, it was packed with people - shoppers, employees, policemen, traffic enforcers and tons of vehicles trying to drive away from the scene. So was I.
Lost In My Headspace provides not only an account of what it was like in Glorietta, but among the most famous amateur videos of the event, too. This haunting photo by noelldeg says it all, for the survivors. My Mobile Blog — blogging minus the PC has photos of some of the casualties. See the Glorietta Blast mutlimedia photo, too.
Behind the Stories relates what it’s like for reporters to be alerted of a breaking story and then rushing to cover it:
I was about to eat my lunch when the day desk editor called, and was panicking when he told me that an explosion happened at Glorietta. And much as I wanted to panic too, I merely stayed calm. I immediately got out of the Crame press office, left my just-to-be-eaten yummy lunch and took the MRT.
Fifteen minutes later I was at the scene, and as usual engaged myself in a brief word war with security guards. Hohohoho hahaha while I tried to get to the other side of Glorietta, with all luck..my heels broke. So I went back to SM and bought a pair of cheap flipflops to get me through.
Finally arriving at the scene moments later, I saw how the Glorietta 2 entrance was reduced in rubble, and all those shattered glasses, and the cadavers yet to be brought to the morgue. Sure, this one was a very memorable coverage for me. It was I witnessing yet another part of history unfold.
But it was really devastating. I held back tears. I knew I had to work. I knew I had to do away with emotions. I knew I had to accept that this world is cruel.
A tragedy also results in questions being asked. And tough questions need to be asked. Not later, but now. To postpone them out of a misplaced sense of compassion for the victims will do more harm than good in the long run.The security measures of the Ayala Malls (and malls in general) comes in for criticism by The Banker’s Council:
Ah, those large doorway-detectors. Those that beep incessantly when we the general public pass through them. And what do the guards do when the big gray machine sounds out that it has detected a metallic object? NOTHING.
I have passed by that area many times. Sometimes I bring my backpack and laptop. Other times I just have my Pacsafe wallet around my neck. And everytime, the machine sounds its alarm. And everytime, the guards do not ask me (or anyone else) to “please empty your pockets and go through the machine again.”
And to think that they have a secondary security-cum-detection device – the handheld metal detector, such as this.
So what are those machines for in the first place?
Come to think of it, if the damage was caused by an exploding LPG tank, wouldn’t a fire break out?
Come to think of it (again), if the damage was caused by an exploding LPG tank, I’d probably agree that there was no security lapse and that the incident, unfortunate as it was, could have been an accident, though magnified many many times.
Anyway, back to the security situation.
The other news reports say that the blast site had traces of components used in the making of plastic explosives such as the military-use C4. So I guess the metal detectors would have been of no help.
Are the security guards, metal detectors and other high-tech gadgets enough of a deterrent to those who would intentionally cause havoc in such a place filled with civilians?
Similar thoughts are in Prudence and Madness and in A Day in the Life.. In IndioSign, there’s an observation about the limitations of modern buildings. In her blog, Stella Arnaldo who also has no love lost for Ayala Malls security, points to security shortcomings but also discusses something that no one can ignore:
Even before Sen. Trillanes pointed his fingers at the Presidentita GMA and her henchmen being behind the Glorietta blasts, the man on the street and your friendly neighborhood cab drivers were already thinking the same. I spoke to a few later in the evening. Pinoys aren’t stupid although our politicians make us out to be. (If this was the handiwork of terrorists, by yesterday evening, they would have claimed responsibility for the blast already because they are a proud bunch.)
Of course you can say it’s just another conspiracy theory but really, the public, especially the masa have come to distrust the Presidentita and her people. We can’t put anything past her. Almost everyone believes she is capable of doing anything just to perpetuate herself in power and refocus the public’s attention away from her government’s latest foibles. As usual, the Presidentita’s text brigade (Hello NTC: Check out 0905-346-8994) is actively trying to spin the bombings against her critics especially politicians in the opposition. While she tells them to stop politicking and taking advantage of the incident, her handlers are doing it for her. Amateurs talaga!
Mind you, these thoughts have entered the minds of people normally not inclined to have a say, either way, when it comes to politics. zalveen-ice’s Site, I think, is an example of a skeptical public. See, also, A Pinoy Investment Banker’s Homepage (I take it that the blogger is representative of the core constituency of the administration, the upper and professional classes):
Do you know what our consensus was as we speculated on the incident? It was probably the handiwork of people loyal to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) to divert media attention away from her in the light of a series of scandals which had rocked her administration. Since our initial feedback was that it was simply a LPG explosion, we even thought that whoever planned the thing was hare-brained and stupid to begin with. (Of course, we know now that it was not exploding LPG tanks which caused the damage but more like C-4). We have become cynical of GMA to have thought this way, rightly or wrongly. She really has a serious credibility problem with her constituency.
See The Warrior Lawyer and The Four-eyed Journal and Tongue in, Anew and Do my stories piss you off? as well as Random Thoughts.
From New Philippine Revolution comes an effort to whittle down the (large) list of suspects, and his list has the American CIA and a rogue group from the AFP at the top. On the other hand, Philippine Commentary is firmly convinced that the prime suspect remains Muslim groups. As he puts it,
I for one cannot even imagine the possibility of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordering such a thing, much less some rogue supporters who would act without her knowledge. She may be corrupt as events have proven, and craven enough to try to hold onto power by almost any means. But I just don’t believe she, or any of her people would be ruthless enough to do this. If anything she would rather run away than fight, as shown in the Angelo dela Cruz incident in Iraq, and in her pusillanimous handling of the Mindanao situation, both of which were actually determined by the civil society uproar against showing any kind of spine against the terrorists.
Still, you would expect people to instinctively rally around the flag. I see very little of that taking place.
But with the need to experience what other people went through, comes another pressing human need -to understand and make sense of a tragedy. Akomismo puts the blast in the context of previous terrorist attacks. So does Touched by an Angel. People will grasp at anything to try to find a pattern.
Take a look at pine for pine analyzing the list of casualties. Take this text message quoted by rockersworld.com:
13 days after Pacquiao’s victory against Eric Morales, naganap ang WoWowee Stampede.
13 days after Pacquiao’s victory against Larios, Mayon Volcano erupted, many died in mudflow.
13 days after Pacquiao’s victory against Barrera, Glorietta explosion..
We are all part of a process of national grieving, which echoes the manner in which individuals come to terms with a loved one’s demise.
Mon Casiple’s analysis is the most chilling. Remember, this is a person not given to off-the-cuff statements or for letting his emotions veto his circumspection. He goes through the list of potential suspects and the implications if any specific group is proven to be behind the blast:
The Glorietta bombing basically creates an atmosphere of unease, tension, and fear among the populace. If there are others that followed, it may create panic or cause cumulative harm on the body politic. Such a situation puts pressure on a target political opponent and/or derails its normal activities. It may precede a decisive extra-constitutional move.
A convenient culprit remains the Abu Sayyaf or some other Moro rebel group. This is possible but military offensives against them have led to disarrays in their organization and capabilities. Small bombings in the South can be expected of these groups but a massive bombing in Metro Manila–such as the one in Glorietta–raises questions.
Two other groups have the capability for such an obviously carefully-planned bombing. One is the rebel group in the military. The other is the military itself.
Their engaging in the Glorietta bombing would mean a political connection or an incursion into the political arena by the rebel military. Assuming a political motive, the bombing would represent a demonstration of political strength–and nothing else. It flies against the logic of the present stage of the political crisis where the pressure is on the president and not on the opposition. Such a move can only weaken the political momentum of the opposition. The only logical reason–not necessarily tenable politically–is to prepare for a much more decisive strike at the center of power.
Involvement of military elements in the chain of command in the Glorietta bombing would mean that a section of the military has taken sides in the political conflict on the side of the president. The logic is to create a reason for an imposition of martial or some form of national emergency. There is a precedent in the past–that of the series of bombings Marcos did to justify martial rule in 1972.
The Glorietta bombing will not immediately produce any clear indication as to the motive(s) of the perpetrator. Succeeding incidents will create the patterns that make clear a decisive political–albeit extra-constitutional–strategy. Whatever happens, we have entered the final stretch of the political crisis.
An appeal for collective action comes from Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas!:
There are many ways where we can take a collective action to show our unity in expressing our disgust over the bombing. We can make a call on every Filipino homes to display a Philippine flag. Or we can all wear a black shirt on a particular day. Or we can ask the church to toll the bells, honk our cars, hit the pan, make a noise on a particular time. Or we can all just go to Glorietta, no speaches, no banners, no placards, just a show of numbers. Or we can spread the slogan, Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas (too self serving), to express our sentiment on our love for our country. The point is, we have experienced a collective wound. To bring about a positive outcome from this incident, we, the citizens minus the politicians, have to make a collective action.
I only disagree insofar as anyone would think it’s possible to move one way, without the politicians. Even saints had assholes. But Welcome to my World, a Filipino overseas, says it well:
This incident reminds me of the time when the good people of London also became victims of terrorist bombings. Instead of calling for arms and declaring war, then Prime Minister Tony Blair actually called out for all British citizens to remain vigilant and not to cower to the cowardice acts of these misleaded uneducated individuals. To not sink to their level. To not change one’s way of life, for if we succumb to these senseless barbaric acts then they have truly won. For their goal is not to simply kill a huge number of our countrymen, but to create fear to change our way of life. To terrorize a society is to instill fear, regardless of the means, may it be through the taking of lives or through a simple perceived threat.
Again, to my mind, we would do better focusing on the physical and emotional scars of a national trauma barely 24 hours old; and formulating, in our minds, the questions that must be answered, frankly and completely, for we, the people, to be satisfied that the explanations we are getting are genuine.
Technorati Tags: media, military, philippines, politics, president, society
Somehow, I’d rather that there was no C4 and this was a gas explosion accident.
“…is it what Bencard wants, apathy?” shaman of m.
“I don’t think Bencard wants apathy. I believe just like you and me, he also wants a better Philippines.” rego.
thanks, rego. you know what really scares me? these people who who would automatically judge you negatively the moment you express something that does not conform to their way of thinking. can you imagine should these people ever come to power, or be so close to people in power? what would they do to people who would oppose their views? would they tolerate dissent, let alone insults, abuse, verbal assaults? would they ever be like the president they hate whom they can ridicule, falsely accuse of anything and everything, disparage, demean,defame, humiliate, and belittle every step of the way, and get away with it with complete impunity?
i hear tordesillias and her bloggers are just like these people. do you ever wonder how these people would treat us if one of them (their idol(s), whoever he/they may be) somehow came into power?
Carlos H. Lopez,
agree with you that if it was indeed diesel or other combustible under pressure that caused the explosion, it needs detonators before it will burn and the pressure of gases trying to get out of confinement will cause the explosion.
was there a fire in the vicinity of the diesel storage to cause the confined diesel burning? Even smokeless powder (one used for cartridges) would just burn rapidly if ignited loose, while black powder, or pyrodex are explosives that need only detonators or heat to explode.
the fumes that the investigators are reporting were the results of perhaps the secondary explosion reported by witnesses as a result of the first explosion. the bomb as you theorized was within the vicinity of the diesel storage. not too sure but when combustibles are stored for long will start emitting gases that easily caught fire or spark. I tried experimenting with smokeless powders (the type used for modern firearms) but they just burn rapidly in a loose condition, unlike black powder that will explode in any condition once ignited either by fire or primers.
Tawag ko sa mga tao sa baba…??? Komunista!
🙂
“thanks, rego. you know what really scares me? these people who who would automatically judge you negatively the moment you express something that does not conform to their way of thinking. can you imagine should these people ever come to power, or be so close to people in power? what would they do to people who would oppose their views? would they tolerate dissent, let alone insults, abuse, verbal assaults? would they ever be like the president they hate whom they can ridicule, falsely accuse of anything and everything, disparage, demean,defame, humiliate, and belittle every step of the way, and get away with it with complete impunity?”
Good morning guys,
Don’t you ever sleep? This just in, Prospero Nograles said that the opposition does not want a successful impeachment because some presidentiables will lose their chances in 2010 should Noli de Castro be allowed to be president.
tsinoy,
Only the those who seek to divide the Filipinos will label them communists, rightists, leftists, Islamists, etc. These categories were invented by people who see life through “HATE” lenses. Lets allow each other to have their own differences, we are living in a free country.
Rego, about Trillanes, you don’t even know the guy, why don’t you and I go talk to him and reserve judgment till then?
Devils, i did some googling and it looks like the Hutu and Tutsi were not even separate ethnic groups:
http://www.india-forum.com/articles/153/1/The-AIT-:-More-than-meets-the-eye/print/153
According to the link, the categories were originally contrived by the Christian Missionaries. If true, this parallels the segregation between Tsinoys and Pinoys which started during the Spanish period.
“thanks, rego. you know what really scares me? these people who who would automatically judge you negatively the moment you express something that does not conform to their way of thinking.” – bencard
Sometimes the reactions of people around you is just a reflection of your reaction to them, try to be subtle.
Ramrod:
Same reason why they did not want FPJ to win. I remember hearing while having lunch or dinner with the “Rich” the phrase that FPJ must not win “by hook or crook” because he doesn’t know a thing. In deference to my host, I would just say to myself that it is bad to pass judgement on a person because of his/her educational attainment.
Now, see what’s happened. It seems that GMA had indeed have to win by “crook”. Now, look at the consequence. Nagka-bestohan na. And look at all the favors she has to contend with, the lies , the bribes, etc.
I hope that this teaches the “Rich” a lesson. I am a Catholic. I do not understand the greed of the “Rich”. I know some of them and they leave in big houses that are not HOmes. I too know simple people who live in small houses, some apartments, but I would call them Homes.
I see all these Congressmen riding in their BIG Cars going in Malacanang and without conscience accept 500K with a blink of guilt and we have this simple living priest being the only one to divulge it.
“it is harder of a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God than for a Camel to enter the eye of a needle”
Carlos H Lopez,
Based on your theory, It was not an accident. There was still C-4 then, and somebody put it there to trigger diesel explosion.
If this is the case, then it would be “easier” to track down the culprit, since i believe that only few people could have access to the underground room.
And again, your theory still suggests that it was not an accident.
Police should give explanation about the RDX they found there. It was announced publicly that they found RDX, and even the meeting of national security council confirmed it already.
“You mean to say its going to be a yearly “eggs on our faces†as our resident GMA defense attorney puts it? You of little faith, more prayers…” – ramrod
ram,
I am actually having more faith nowadays because we really need something we don’t expect as far as the resignation or impeachment of GMA is concerned.
I heard that among my middle class colleagues as well. That’s part of the elitist mindset which is unfortunately common among the Upper and Middle Classes. That’s why the sense of morality of many of those who participated in EDSA Dos went out the window when it came to the issue of FPJ.
Augustine,
I don’t know how they plan to get out of this mess, but the fact is, water from the sprinkler systems have flooded the area hours after the explosion, and this is the rainy season, with an open ceiling any residue could be washed away already. Thats why I was so pissed off with all the foot dragging earlier.
And some people react to our “speculations” preferring to wait for the “experts.” This is not the era where the common people like us do not understand what these experts are doing, gone are the days when we have to wait with gaping mouths and big wondering eyes for whatever our leaders feed us.
Carlos H. Lopez,
I understand, I was part of the mob who wanted GMA by hook or by crook just to avoid having FPJ being president. Lesson learned from this, the ends do not justify the means.
ramrod, i don’t think subtlety would work with these people (i don’t mean you). many of them are so simplistic you have to spell it out and still be misconstrued (probably, more deliberately rather than because of ignorance). i haven’t visited tordesillias blog but from what i hear, you can try your “subtlety” there (if you haven’t already done so) and let me know what happens.
at any rate, since you espouse the same beliefs and principles as they do vis a vis pgma, i think you’ll be easily recognized as one of their own. so, just for experimental purposes, you may pretend you are “pro arroyo” (you know what to do… or say).
I didn’t like FPJ and didn’t vote for him but boy did I have sympathy for him in abundance over what he was made to go through!
Remember when some archives official was found to have falsified his personal documents to make it look like he was not a Filipino?
Bencard,
I tried to go to that blog last night but I got scared, reading the threads made me think of snarling, foaming at the mouth, enraged pack, ready to pounce on any moderate views and probably eat pro GMAs. Do they present the people’s sentiment more than this blog? I like the habitues of this blog, they are more retrospective and sensible. The reactions you don’t like are just ventilations, as it says in the bible “from overflows of the heart the mouth speaks.”
You’ve been here longer than I have, you know what I mean. Most especially now after the bombing, emotions will run high, allow everybody to let out their anger, indignation, fears, and doubts, we’re only human.
ramrod,
It is either The PNP don’t know how to get out of this mess or they have no much experience to handle the investigation on a bombing scene or they are under pressure.
I got impression that they are hiding something now, especially when we read today’s headline.
This one is taken from Inquirer:
“An investigator, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to reporters, told the Inquirer that initial tests done by bomb experts from the United States revealed no traces of RDX or any other explosive material……..The American experts, the source said, tested six samples from different locations at least three times. “There were samples taken from 500 meters from the blast site and also at the seat or source of the blasts, in this case the hole that was caused.—
Would you believe that? Who collect the samples? 500 meters from the scene? Foreign experts are just observers…I don’t know if they are given access to ground zero, and conduct their own investigation.
For what it’s worth, this is a comment I read from another blogger in another site that basically summarizes what I am saying….bear in mind these are not my comments…
“please my dear fellow filipino, please we are a democratic country but we dont practice it, really sawang sawa nako at nakakasuka, ang mga politicians natin ang gulo gulo, a very chaotic country indeed, dahil sa mga govt officials especially ang mga politicians silipan ng silipan wala ng ginawa kong hindi manira ng kapwa, aber sino ang gusto nyong ipalit kay gloria sino si noli de casto tapos hindi rin kayo mananahimik patatalsikin din ninyo, we filipinos have no satisfaction. mayayabang akala very proud we have democracy but really we dont practice it the way it should be practiced, puro salita walang gawa, lalo na ang senators, talagang they are not important to us, pangulo lang talaga sila, parang pag aari na nila ang pilipinas, sila sila nag sisiraan, yang bombing nayan sa glorieta pina pa gulo naman ang bayan natin tayo din ang lubog na bayan pina pa lubog pa nang husto baka sa susunod mawala ng tuluyan sa mapa ang pinas, please i hope the powerful media will come to there senses, they control the country they are the most powerful entity in our country, kayang kaya nila ilubog ang sarili nilang bayan just for there ratings.”
Augustine,
What happened to the investigator earlier who said that RDX traces were found at the site? Sacked?
How could mechanical explosion do this? If it was really diesel why wasn’t there any fire? Hmmmm…very strange indeed…
ramrod
I appreciate your comment. Problema kasi minsan, just because we moderates try to balance the arguments….some people tend to become too mired in their own “hate filled” lenses that it’s better to use the extreme labels just to wake people out of their stupor…as the saying goes, bato bato sa langit, ang tamaan huwag magalit…..hehe
oh common ramrod. I just expressed my opinion on what trillanes said in the press and suggested on I BELIEVED is better thing to do to be of help.
If that is the case then we should all stop talking about Gloria becuase we dont really know her. We shoudl all go to her before we say anything about her in this forum.
tsinoy,
I’m really glad a member of the chinese community is interested in politics this way, this is very rare. I have been with the chinese business community for years now (14 years) whether in the Philippines or Singapore. Basically they would rather focus on business and talk about politics casually. My take on their reaction to all this is “pare pareho lang sila.” Basically because GMA enjoyed their support before, but now its just a consensus of disgust. My advise to you if you own a business, don’t align yourself to any political person/party as politics changes hands very often. Be aware but distance yourself from any politician.
Ermita flies off to the US to give a report (kuno) on extra judicial killings.
He has some priorities, huh?
Di kaya humihingi ng SOS kay papa George?
Ramrod,
I share the same experience on Ellen’s Blog. I went there once and never want to go back again.
And worst is somebody is using the same name as mine in that blog. I wanted to say something about it but decided to just let it pass.
Im not really the type who blog hop. I just read articles that i feel is worth reading from the links provide by Manolo. And just post comments here. In the firt palce I dont really have that much time to blog hop and post commenst on evry blog that visited.
rego,
Look at Trillanes’ situation, he’s already neutralized, knowing the culture of the military, if he wasn’t a senator, or anyone famous, considering his rank, he would have already had a convenient accident or suicide. I had a barracksmate who until now we cannot accept the suicide angle.
What I mean is, let him speak, if he wants “neutral” terms, let him have it, what are they afraid of? The NSC chief is saying he doesn’t want the politicians to take advantage of the whole thing, why not? Its not that the people are that gullible to believe everything the politicians are saying.
Let him have his day, let him talk, let him present his evidence (Oplan Greenbase) and we as the people will judge for ourselves. GMA has had all the time/opportunity she wanted…
rego,
I know what you mean, I’m actually very busy the whole week myself, you know, people with sales targets. I remember the early years when I started, my boss was already ecstatic if I close 3-3.5M a month, now, would you believe it, 3B a year? So what I do is, in between meetings, telecons, while waiting for faxes, emails, I visit this blog, it takes my mind of the pressure. Its better than drinking beer at night or whisky. Hell, I have to admit it, its better than the massage (with a happy ending) at times. Does this mean I’m getting old?
But ramrod what ever trillanes is in now is his own making.
I am not preventing him to talk. By all means he can do that. As a matter of fact I wanted him to talk more and even suggested to do it on a forum or body that he trusted so much.
I would like to point out too that Triallanes is already a public figure and that makes anything he do open to criticism by the public thaty he is addressing.
I know you are both PMAer but hey that doesn’t mean that we dont undertand his situtaion from afar.
rego,
Forgive me if my biases show at times. Honestly, I will admit I have my doubts about him (and I’m not alone) because of his close relations with Erap. Did you ever wonder why he didn’t get much support even from his own kind?
I just prefer that we let him speak and get it over with, we can easily discern if he is tainted or not.
Right on, Willy! I guess, the right thing to do in these kinds of situation is just to accept the feelings of those who grieve as they are and emphatize with them without further comments.
Hi Ramrod
I have always had a keen interest in the politics of this country and how it affects business but I never ever aligned myself with anybody because of all the complications attach to it. (Some people may say that’s typical of us but who cares…) And some of thse politicians are actually good family friends….
I was born and grew up in the Philippines and I live and breathe Filipino (albeit of chinese descent). I am very sad at what is being done by powerful people in our country, be they politicians, crooked businessmen and bureaucracy and brazen criminals. The country is almost down to its knees because of all the things that are going on lately. Wala nang katapusan.
That’s really my opinion. Hindi na natapos. Sad to say, my take of this is that all politicians wants to be in power (with the exception maybe of Mrs. Aquino) for one thing and one thing alone….MONEY. So whoever wants to bring the President down (not that I admire her) is just after MONEY also. Lahat ng nakausap kong politika, money angle lagi ang pinag uusapan. Of course, I keep quiet because it’s their word against mine. Who am I but a small businessman. I just don’t join anymore in the games they play. Ibang liga sila. I am sure you having worked with the Chinese business community that you know who these big league guys are….Obvious naman everytime nagpapalit sila ng liderato, it’s because they put the guy who’s close to the current sitting President, di ba?
I care about this country a lot. I do some business between HK and the Philippines and it’s such a stark difference. The work ethic in HK is amazing compared to the Philippines and politics here, in fact, is sort of like a fly in the ointment of the average Hongkonger. SOmething they have to deal with come tax time or when they have a public issue they need to deal with. I wish it was the same in our country but NOOOOO, they would rather keep on talking and coming up with all sorts of conspiracy theories (the quinteseential pinoy pastime, aside from gambling) instead of really trying to figure out how to move the country forward economically so that EVERYBODY benefits.
Democracy for me has it’s place. Our country is not ready for it. Our brand of democracy is patterned after an American model that has been tweaked and fixed to suit their culture. We just transplanted it to our shores lock, stock and barrel and the tweaks made were only for the politicians’ benefit.
If you really really think about it, we still have a very feudal setup in our country. In this respect, Jose Ma. Sison is right. We have not change the datu system over the last 500 years. And the result is this out of whack political system that we have that basically reinforces such patronage system with just an American veneer of democracy to beautify it’s name. And people then wonder why the president has to spread out the largesse???? Eh that IS the system in place. The Datu system where the Leader is paid homage as long as he’s able to bring the food to the table. Eh di ba ganun din hanggang barangay level?
How to fix this? A this point, it’s really a very hard problem to resolve. A revolution does not necessarily fix the problem and as we all know, the children of the reolution sometimes gets devoured in the process anyway. It’s really the Filipino psyche that needs changing. They all lack (and I say this in the collective lest some people in this forum jumps at me) a sense of nationalism that I see everywhere else. The hell with our country basta I can feed my family, as if the family does not have a stake in the betterment of the country they live in. There’s the rub really. We all love to be democratic yet we do not want to practice the responsibility that comes with democracy.
Mahab na sinabi ko…we could certainly go on and on talking about this. At the end of the day, I know everybody in this forum love our country. It’s how they perceive things should be resolve really that is the main difference. Int his regards, I salute everybody !
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/76140/mike_davis_on_the_history_of_the_car_bomb
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/76824/mike_davis_return_to_sender_car_bombs_part_2_
For those who love the smell of napalm in the morning this would be a good time to revisit these links as they are good history of bombings and car bombs and the history of their use.
Al Qaeda today can thank the Jewish insurgency in earlier times and off course the CIA for this most portable and effective weapon of asymmetrical warfare.
In a country like the Philippines where private and public military and police forces are primarily mercenary in their functions. The line between private and public armed forces in the country is often times blurry. They are for the most part guns for hire.
And ramrod. please dont get me wrong. I dont hate Triallanes. As a matter of fact I almost voted for him. H e is in my original very short list of 3 senators that I I woudl like to vote. And I posted that list here.
I think I like his being an idealist and a fresh blood in the senate.
“We are a nation that is so dependent on gossips and speculations. We create our own ghosts. We terrorize ourselves.” – the cat
So stop terrorizing yourself. Calm down, lets look at this from a different perspective. You can speculate on your own if you like.
qwert,
Have you contacted the world vision foundation already? My wife and I plan to talk to them by the end of the month. I need to ask them a few questions, its unbelievable that you can send a child to school with only so little.
I just read your apology. after I posted my last comment . There is really no need for it.
But that act is very admirable. It rarely happen n this blog. BOW ako sa yo , sir!
I forgot to adress that comment for you, Ramrod.
“i haven’t visited tordesillias blog but from what i hear, you can try your “subtlety†there (if you haven’t already done so) and let me know what happens.” – Bencard
I’m hugely surprised that a lawyer who obviously is proud of his legal expertise should depend on hearsay. Why he cannot do it himself and experience the thing first-hand is quite beyond me.
ram,
yes, but due to the many questions I was raising about the system,they advise me to drop by their office, since I am planning to go to Manila after All Saints Day, I’m including World Vision in my itinerary.
Shaman,
Care to read another report I received?
First Malaysian in space returns to Earth
Agence France-Presse
Last updated 07:04am (Mla time) 10/22/2007
MOSCOW — Two Russian cosmonauts and the first Malaysian in space returned to Earth on Sunday in an unusually abrupt and off-target manner afterleaving the orbiting the International Space Station, Russian mission control said.
The Soyuz craft with Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who carried out experiments for Malaysia’s Genome Institute, and Russian Yuri Yurtshikin and Oleg Kotov touched down on the Kazakh steppe at 1043 GMT, it said.
On the other hand,President Vladimir Putin will visit Portugal on October 25–26. Mr. Putin will conclude his visit by taking part in the Russia-European Union summit in the Portuguese city of Mafra.
“In other related developments, Mr. Putin will pay Philippine President Gloria Arroyo a visit on his way back to Russia from Portugal and would offer his help to ease the political tension prevailing in that southeast asian nation.
Mr.Putin deemed the mission of the two Russian cosmonauts and the first Malaysian in space a success and a good start to strengthen the relation of Russia with the ASEAN, so he would like to offer Mrs. Arroyo the honor to be the first Filipino and head of state in space
and the ones in a lifetime experience of staying in the International Space Station for three years. The Soyuz craft will be leaving forty days before Christmas and will be back in June, 2010.”
qwert,
You’re kidding right?
shaman, to be frank about it, i think you belong there much more than i. you would be like fish in the water. hearsay? obviously you don’t know what it means. why don’t you first consult with your lawyer before using terms you know nothin about?
ram,
the bold font was just me kidding…
” the ones in a lifetime”, the misspelled word was deliberate lest it be taken seriously by others
“hearsay? obviously you don’t know what it means. why don’t you first consult with your lawyer before using terms you know nothin about?”
Next to Politicians, the least trusted group of individuals are lawyers, as a group. So many accused now represent themselves instead of spending a dime for a lawyer that seems to not know much about law anyways. of course if it’s on public purse, why not? let them do the talking, one side will always lose anyways…
Civil society and civilized society. In all of Asia the actual existence of the institutions of civil society are a byproduct of Western colonization.
The idea of civil society which is the underpinning of constitutional republicanism does not exist in China and throughout most of Asia. With the exception of India and the Philippines they are alien concepts in Asia.
In the Philippines though the term civil society is most often misconstrued. The idea is still in its infancy. What you have in the country are primarily civic groups masquerading as civil society groups.
The most potent form of civil society groups are representatives of different sectoral groups and the more successful are groups of small businessman, professionals and labor unions. They serve as counterweight to big business and government.
In weaker underdeveloped states the religious groups are combined with big business (landlords, traders and bankers) and government.
Unfortunately for the Philippines that so called middle force that should make up the force behind civil society is still at the margins and yet to be created.
The bulk of the population are still peasants and migratory peasant labor.
China’s rapid economic growth will have to give way to the emergence of a strong civil society as they are slowly creating the force that will become the nemesis of authoritarian government. The white/blue collar labor force and professional class.
The government of China is governed by a centralized democratic system. The central committee decides and no one knows how many men or women comprise that group.
That form of cellular structure gives no room for oversight. The authority is devolved to the different provinces but still operates along those lines.
For a country that was steeped in the oldest form of authoritarian governance it is not a break from their cultural history. A central committee rules instead of an emperor.
The Philippines is still generations away from that state of affairs for the emergence of civil society.
A perfect example of that state of affairs is the ongoing debate on pro-GMA and anti-GMA. It actually benefits Big Mike and GMA that the debate is maintained on the basis of personalties. Abstract concepts like institutions, rule of law and the social contract are results of empirical history. The country must have to have experienced it. It is born out actual struggles. That is why society organizes itself in a nation state after common historical experiences of struggle.
That is why the military often times takes over weak states because they are most the the sector that is asked to shed blood. In battle the concepts of God and country are lost. It becomes survival and helping your side survive. Man’s most noble endeavor giving up ones life for his brothers in battle.
It was most notable that during the battle of Hue where the U.S. Marines were engaged in battle vs the Viet Cong and NVA regulars the U.S. military finally realized that they were fighting men defending their country and they were the invaders. The defenders of Hue stood their ground and fought back even when they knew they had no escape. After that battle the Marines started calling the Viet Cong Mr. Charlie instead of the word Charlie.
Vietnam will almost assuredly develop faster than the Philippines.
Bulacan Gov. Joselito Mendoza on Monday bared that an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government was present when a female staff member of Malacañang gave out cash gifts after a governors’ league meeting with President Arroyo on October 11.
Mendoza identified the official as DILG Undersecretary Austere Panadero. He said Panadero was present when a female staff member gave him two paper bags, each containing P500,000. Mendoza said he also got P500,000 intended for Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio from the same woman.
“Undersecretary Panadero was there. I think he knew where the money came from,” he added.- abs-cbnnews as of 11:19 a.m.
hrvds,
If we look at it that way, Vietnam will develop faster than the Philippines, and in some ways, it has. But believe me, the Philippines is in a better position (better than Vietnam) still to make bigger strides in development and in economy. Speaking from the viewpoint of our industry, the Philippines is second only to Singapore in SEA, I should know, I head the Philippine team. Unfortunately, I have to agree with you that we are dragging our feet, or weighed down (like lead weights) by some socio-political and socio-economic factors its so frustrating. Here we are in the business sector yelling charge! we charge and then realize we’re alone, the rest are busy bickering, backbiting, and fighting each other.