A female student died and at least 37 others were wounded after an unidentified student who was refused entry by a school guard lobbed a grenade at the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) campus in Quezon City yesterday.
Diane Rae Navarro, 22, died after a vein in her head snapped as a result of shrapnel wounds in the head and face, according to doctors at the Quezon City Medical Center (QCMC).
The assailant fled after the attack and remains unidentified as of press time. But witnesses described him as about 5'8".
Police said the student threw the grenade at the TIP gate on Aurora Boulevard after a security guard barred him from entering the campus because he was not in uniform.
"He got angry when he was turned away," Metro Manila police commander Chief Superintendent Edgardo Aglipay told reporters yesterday.
Witness Joefrrey Castaneda, 19, told The STAR he saw four teenagers arguing with guards at the gate seconds before he heard a loud explosion.
"One of them told the guard that he just needed to get his transcript of records from the Registrar's Office," he said. "But the guards did not allow him to enter the campus."
Most universities insist students wear prescribed uniforms as a security measure to prevent outsiders from entering campuses.
Most of the injured were taken to the QCMC, while the others were brought to the Quirino General Hospital and the TIP Infirmary.
They included two security guards, one of whom is believed to be fighting for his life at the QCMC. The ages of the wounded ranged from 19 to 29.
The injured students were waiting for rides along Aurora Boulevard when the grenade was thrown at the security guards on duty at the gate.
As of press time, three victims were still undergoing operation at the QCMC, while the others were being treated in the hospital's corridors.
Nurses had to place them on a few available beds at the emergency room, or in chairs, sofas, wheelchairs, and on anything where they could be given proper treatment.
Others were taken to the X-ray or CT-scan rooms to determine the extent of their wounds as doctors feared some could have internal injuries.
Officer-on-case Police Officer 2 Edwin dela Cruz identified some of the wounded students as Jeffrey Francisco, 22; Joeralpa Dalisay, 21; Sherwin Rurapoa, 20; Catherine Martea, 17, Nino Richard Deis, 19, Jesus Bella, 20, Teresa de Guzman, 18; Joseph Aganon, 22; Erwin Ganatise, 20; Rey Villarin, Amado Mangilin, Rubie Lawang, 17; Roberto Gervoso, 27; Jefrey Cabelles, Romulo Macanan, Ram Evasco, and Noel Tabago, 18.
The injured security guards were identified as Albert Devina and Roberto Punzalan, 29.
An hour after the grenade explosion, another student was injured when a home-made bomb he was carrying in his pocket in a university in Manila fell through and exploded.
It was not known why the student was carrying the explosive, but a senior police official said it was possible some students were arming themselves in case of violence among rival fraternities.