LRT passenger arrested for carrying banned firecrackers

A man about to board a Light Rail Transit (LRT) train at the Monumento station in Caloocan City was arrested yesterday afternoon by police after a security guard discovered he was carrying firecrackers inside his bag.

LRT spokesperson Jinky Jorgio identified the man as Bernie Siguenza, 21, of Barangay Sta. Cruz in Buhi, Camarines Sur.

The suspect was carrying a bag containing several firecrackers placed inside a plastic bag.

Jorgio said the man was carrying firecrackers that are banned, like the superlolo, and other, legal firecrackers trumpillo and watusi. The firecrackers were estimated to be worth P1,500.

The suspect arrived at the LRT station in Monumento at around 2:15 p.m. and was on his way to the LRT Gil Puyat (Buendia Ave.) station in Makati where he would take a bus to Camarines Sur.

Security Guard Ernesto Manzano of the Valdez Security Agency inspected Siguenza’s bag and found the firecrackers inside.

Manzano immediately notified higher authorities and the police were called.

LRT officials said passengers are not allowed to carry any kind of explosives, including firecrackers, inside the train or the terminals.

During interrogation by the police who went to the train station, Siguenza said he bought the firecrackers from Bulacan and was bound for his hometown in Camarines Sur.

He explained that he was just going to use the firecrackers during the New Year’s Eve celebration.

LRT Administrator Melquiades Robles thanked the guard and the other security personnel, including the police, for the tight security in all train stations.

Meanwhile, the police tightened security at all LRT lines on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the deadly Rizal Day bombing on Dec. 30, 2000.

Security guards were ordered to be vigilant particularly at LRT Line 1 along Taft Ave. where more than a dozen people were killed when two bombs were planted by members of the Abu Sayyaf and the radical group of Muslim converts Rajah Solaiman Movement.

The first bomb exploded at Plaza Ferguson near the US Embassy in Manila. The second bomb exploded inside a coach at the LRT Blumentritt station in Manila.

A third bomb planted by the terrorists exploded at a gasoline station in Makati City where a policeman was killed. The fourth bomb was detonated near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City and the fifth bomb exploded on bus cruising Edsa-Cubao, Quezon City.

Authorities said the bombings were meant to embarrass the government. The bombings were led by self-confessed Jemaah Islamiyah bomber Fathur Roman al-Ghozi, who was later arrested. Al-Ghozi escaped from his detention cell at Camp Crame in Quezon City but the terrorist was killed in an encounter with government troops in North Cotabato in 2003. — With Jaime Laude, Jerry Botial