Probe on those who tagged Cebuano stude at bar exam blast gets backing

Cebu , Philippines - Cebu City councilor Edgardo Labella believes that the linking of Cebuano law student Jed Lazaga to the recent bar exam blast in Manila was done maliciously to destroy the image of Cebuano law students.

To have someone be held liable for the damage that the incident caused to Lazaga, the councilor proposed a resolution to the City Council strongly supporting the investigation on the irresponsible accusation against the law student, whose picture, school, identification card, study load, and some other information were publicized pointing him as the main suspect behind the bar exams blast last September.

To recall, the Philippine Bar exam last September 26 was concluded with a blast which injured 47 people, mostly law students. Two witnesses pointed to him as the culprit.

But Lazaga was recently declared off the hook when more than 17 witnesses identified a certain Anthony Nepomuceno, an engineering student and a member of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity as the one wh was responsible for the crime.

“Although Lazaga has been cleared from the bar exam bombing, the unfair accusation against him had tainted not only the name of his family, his school and Jed Lazaga himself, but also the image of Cebuano law students,” Labella’s resolution reads.

“The University of San Jose-Recoletos has sent a letter to the Manila Police District and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters ng Pilipinas (KBP) to request the investigation on those responsible behind Lazaga’s ordeal. Definitely, something has to be done to alter the negative tag attributed by such incident,” it added.

USJ-R officials want to clarify if media outlets in Manila, who reported Lazaga as a suspect despite lack of evidence, have committed any violation.

Lazaga’s lawyers are now contemplating what legal actions they may take against those who prematurely pointed to him as the culprit because they will not accept a mere apology after all that has transpired.

Lazaga is now undergoing a stress debriefing and counseling to help him immediately recover from the trauma that the incident caused him.   (FREEMAN NEWS)