The blast taking place in a shopping mall in the capital region of the Philippines Friday might be a terrorist attack, said a high-level security official of the country. "This is not an accident. We are looking into a possible terrorist attack," Norberto Gonzales, Philippine National Security Adviser told the media.
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The explosion took place at around 1:30 p.m. local time (0530 GMT) in Glorietta, a classy shopping mall in the country's financial city of Makati, Metro Manila. The explosion ripped through the roof of the mall and damaged nearby shops. Debris from the blast were scattered on the streets. Eight people have been confirmed dead while 89 were wounded and 10 others are still missing in the blast according to reports as of 8:00 p.m. local time (1200 GMT).
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called for an emergency security meeting following the explosion and afterwards urged Filipinos to remain vigilant. "We urge all sectors to remain vigilant as the government steps up security measures to protect our people," she said in a statement.
"We assure everyone that a full blown investigation is now underway. The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are on highest alert and are fielding an additional 2000 personnel to secure our public places and to prevent a possible similar occurrence," the president added.
 The president also warned groups against exploiting the deadly blast for political gain. "I warn those who seek to exploit this incident to destabilize our government for their selfish political motives," she said.
The blast occurred a week after the PNP revealed plans by Abu Sayyaf, an antigovernment Islamofascist militant group to launch attacks after Ramadan ended on Oct. 12. PNP chief Avelino Razon earlier admitted that before the explosion, the police had received information on planned bombings in Metro Manila. "We have reports in the past and we have taken actions on the report," he said.
Nevertheless, the PNP said that they cannot categorically say if the explosion was the handiwork of terrorists. |