Hype on bombings triggers stampede

A loud explosion purportedly caused by the explosion of an airgun tank Saturday sent spectators of the Unigames in Dumaguete City scampering out of the Lamberto Macias Sports Complex.

"It was like a stampede of wild horses," reported a Visayas Daily Courier correspondent covering the games.

As of press time, there was no additional report on whether anybody was injured in the stampede. Many of those who rushed out of the complex were reportedly hysterical, including some members of the games media bureau who thought that terrorists had exploded a bomb.

That incident, though, highlighted the state of anxiety among the general population caused by the series of media hype by the administration and law enforcement agencies about the threat of terrorist bombs.

While there is need to alert the population on such threats and to galvanize the public to guard against shadowy figures slipping into their communities and setting off bombs, the news should focus more on precautionary measures and tips on how to spot bombs. But the frenzied alarums have raised public anxiety. This is partly reflected by the drop in patrons going to malls for fear of a possible bomb explosion.

Definitely bad for business. And, if the climate of fear increases, what could result will be a paranoid climate, people suspecting every stranger as a potential terrorist.

Hinigaran blast

But there is a worrisome cultural practice that if not defused could provide terrorists and opportunists to trigger murder and mayhem during the forthcoming Christmas holidays.

This danger was highlighted by the explosion in a mini-firecracker factory in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, last weekend. Two girls and a boy were killed by an explosion triggered by a wick used in making pyrotechnics which ignited a big pile of black powder being used for firecrackers.

The makeshift pyrotechnics factory blast in Acacia, a coastal Hinigaran barangay, killed 16-year-old Rebecca Suelo, Gemma Baylon, and another 15-year old Junjun Buenafe.

Junjun, according to brother James Buenafe, managed to get out of the burning hut but returned to try and save the two girls.

According to initial reports, the trio were entrapped inside the hut when the highly flammable ceiling fell on the three children.

Police said the bodies of the three children were charred beyond recognition.

Actually, this was the second such a tragic incident involving firecracker-manufacturing which has become a cottage industry in Hinigaran.

Over the years, in relation to bomb blasts, most of the firecrackers and pyrotechnics used in the Christmas celebration and especially New Year’s Eve have become more powerful. Their blasts sound more like bombs than just celebratory firecrackers.

Thus, the danger is that terrorists will take advantage of such blasting celebrations to trigger real bombs. The "war-like" din could mask their nefarious deed.

A modulated approach

Luckily, Negros Occidental PNP provincial Supt. Vicente Poneras adopted a well-modulated approach to caution public about terrorist bomb threats. While he said provincial authorities have yet to receive any warning, there is still a need to adopt preventive measures to foil such a possibility.

Friday, Ponteras briefed members of the Bacolod Capitol Lions Club about the security situation of the province which he dubbed as the "safest among the country’s provinces" as evidenced by the crime statistics.

His non-alarmist stance eased anxieties. Instead, the Lions members offered to provide transport needs of the PNP in the event an emergency develops. Since most members are car-owners, Ponteras said his command will hammer out a detailed plan on how Lions can be mobilized by the PNP in case of emergencies with club secretary Honorato Tonogbanua as chairman of the special committee.

That initial agreement may involve more Lions clubs in Bacolod and the province of Negros Occidental to cope with the remote possibility of terrorists taking advantage of the holidays to do their thing.

Ponteras also warned lions members, mostly cellphone owners, not to pass on to others unverified text messages about bomb threats and bombing incidents. He also urged the lions to help campaigning against pranksters who get thrilled when they create panic and mass hysteria.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Maranon, he told the lions, is buying two K-9 dogs for bomb-sniffing to boost the capability of the PNP to spot possible explosive devices.

The strange twist, though. Although bomb expert Demy Montoya had told local mediamen that he lacks the necessary bomb detection and demolition devices, Bacolod Mayor Luz Valdez disclosed to journalists that the city government will buy a motorcycle for the bicycle-riding Montoya. One of the demolition experts badly needed item is a protective clothing when he tinkers with bombs and other explosive devices.