‘AFP prepared for more attacks’

MANILA, Philippines - The military is bracing for more attacks following last Friday’s car bombing in Zamboanga City that left two persons dead and 54 others wounded.

Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said some groups might stage scenarios ahead of the deliberations and voting to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

“We prepare for the worst. There is close monitoring (of the security situation). We are preparing for any eventuality,” Cabunoc said.

He said while the Abu Sayyaf bandits are the principal suspects in the latest bombing, it is also possible that the bombing was politically motivated and planned by those who oppose the BBL, which will implement the peace agreement signed by the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last year.

“Anyone can do it. It might have been someone who is against the BBL. It might have been staged because of the political climate in Zamboanga,” Cabunoc said.

“We cannot not really ascertain (the motive) until someone claims responsibility,” he added.

The bombing happened in Barangay Guiwan and investigators have attributed the terrorist attack to the Abu Sayyaf.

Local officials said the bombing was related to a failed attempt by Abu Sayyaf bandits to rescue their detained comrades last Monday.

Zamboanga City Mayor Ma. Isabela Climaco-Salazar had proposed to transfer the detained Abu Sayyaf members from the Zambonaga City jail to a police camp in Taguig City, saying that their presence in the city is a magnet for terrorism. 

President Aquino visited the blast site in Zamboanga City yesterday afternoon.

Aquino arrived at about 10 a.m. at the Edwin Andrews Air Base (EAAB) with Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr.

Armed Forces spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla, for his part, does not expect the perpetrators to immediately launch a similar attack.

“It was a local incident related to a jailbreak,” Padilla said.

Padilla, nevertheless, said security measures such as checkpoints are in place to prevent similar incidents.

Zamboanga City police and military officials gave the President and his group a briefing regarding the Abu Sayyaf bandits who have been linked to the latest bombing.

Aquino briefly made a stopover at the blast site where he inspected the damage but did not issue a statement to reporters who were barred from approaching him.

The area was secured by members of the Army’s Light Reaction Company (LRC), whose snipers were deployed in nearby buildings since Saturday night to secure the President.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement that the government condemns the latest attack.

He said Aquino – the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces – went to Mindanao where he was briefed by the AFP and the Philippine National Police about the peace and order situation in the city.

“He will also personally visit the families of those who were killed during the incident, and those now recuperating in hospitals,” Coloma said.

Aquino also went to the wake of the slain victims and paid his respects, after which he visited some of the wounded victims confined in local hospitals.

The President also visited the Zamboanga City Reformatory Center (ZCRC) where 57 Abu Sayyaf are detained to assess the security situation. – With Delon Porcalla, Roel Pareño