May 16, 2000, The Philippine Star, Crime syndicate blamed for Crame blast,

May 16, 2000, The Philippine Star, Crime syndicate blamed for Crame blast, 

A well-funded crime syndicate with an ax to grind against Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Panfilo Lacson may be behind the grenade attack on Camp Crame last Sunday.

PNP spokesman Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome revealed this yesterday as he ruled out the possibility that the attack was the handiwork of Muslim rebels who are fighting a secessionist war in Mindanao.

This developed as several lawmakers aired suspicions that the grenade attack, which hit a mini-park inside the PNP camp, could be a mere gimmick of the military and the police to influence legislators into increasing their intelligence funds.

"Initially we are considering the angle that this was the handiwork of some persons disgruntled against General Lacson," Bartolome said. "This cannot be the work of the Abu Sayyaf or the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. This cannot also be done by the Alex Boncayao Brigade as they have signed a peace accord with the government."

Bartolome said the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is now looking for witnesses to the grenade attack.

Initial investigation showed that the suspects used only one vehicle in launching a rocket-propelled grenade which was believed to be aimed at Lacson's residence.

Probers said the attackers most likely used the EDSA-Santolan flyover and stopped several buses before firing their weapon.

No one was injured in the attack, and Lacson said he was inclined to believe that it was merely a psychological warfare ploy.

"From their (attackers') vantage point, they could have easily hit the PNP headquarters building but they didn't. This may just be a psy-war tactic," he said.

As this developed, lawmakers urged the PNP to secure Metro Manila "at all costs" from terrorist groups.

Speaker Manuel Villar Jr., in a statement, said similar grenade attacks could be launched in other areas of the metropolis and the police should be on guard to prevent them.

"We must not allow this to happen as Metro Manila is the center of the government and the seat of power," he said.

Villar aired fears that the hostilities in Mindanao where thousands of government troops are fighting Muslim rebels might spill over to Metro Manila.

"This lawlessness must be contained and eventually quelled in areas where it is presently taking place," he said.

In a related development, the House committee on public order and security will summon Lacson to explain Sunday's grenade explosion right inside Camp Crame, the PNP's general headquarters.

Rep. Roilo Golez, committee chairman, said the panel would like to know how terrorists could have lobbed a grenade in a tightly-guarded police camp.

He said there could have been lapses in intelligence and security on the part of the PNP.

A gimmick?

In other developments, opposition lawmakers dismissed Sunday's attack on Camp Crame as a possible gimmick of the military to force the legislature to increase its intelligence funds.

Members of the Lakas-NUCD led by Minority Leader Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Leyte Rep. Sergio Apostol said the grenade assault may have been carried out by military elements themselves to create a situation that would necessitate the increasing of their funds for intelligence gathering.

"I would surmise that it is still the military, not the Moro Islamic Liberation Front," Belmonte said. "They want to condition the minds of Congress and the Senate that there is a need to augment the intelligence funds of the police and the military."

Belmonte noted that if the bombing was done by the Muslim rebel group, then it would surely lay claim to it.

"If it were the MILF, they would be claiming it. This has nothing to do with Mindanao," he stressed.

At the Senate, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon urged the PNP not to rule out the possibility that the MILF or the Abu Sayyaf was behind the attack on its headquarters.

"The rocket-propelled grenade used in the attack is among the standard weapons being used by the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf," he said.

Biazon pointed out that the attack could be the rebel groups' way of reminding the government that they still maintain a formidable force in urban centers.

Bomb watch

Meanwhile, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has deployed bomb-sniffing dogs and additional policemen in key areas of the metropolis to prevent a repeat of Sunday's grenade attack.

NCRPO director Chief Superintendent Edgardo Aglipay said the dogs would be used in looking for bombs that may have been planted in government offices and commercial establishments all over the region.

Aglipay, however, clarified that people should not be alarmed with the deployment of more policemen. "This is just a routine exercise and there is no such thing as a state of siege in Metro Manila," he said.

The Western Police District (WPD), for its part, has issued guidelines on how the people could be taught to respond properly to bomb threats.

WPD director Chief Superintendent Avelino Razon said the people should be properly informed that a thorough body search is needed to ensure their safety, especially in the wake of the grenade attack on Camp Crame.

"We are now teaching people how to respond to threats they receive through the telephone. We don't want them to panic," he said.

Razon explained that there is a possibility that some unscrupulous individuals may take advantage of the tense situation to sow fear on people by issuing bomb threats.

"There are legitimate calls and there are prank calls. It's very important to determine the veracity of information before responding to a bomb threat," he said.

The WPD chief added that people should beware of letters or parcels from unknown sources or vehicles that are parked in suspicious locations since these could be used by terrorist groups in launching bomb attacks. -- With Liberty Dones, Perseus Echeminada, Jess Diaz, Marvin Sy, Jose Aravilla, Nestor Etolle