Frat, gang wars trigger Quezon City, Pasig blasts

MANILA, Philippines - The explosions in Pasig and Quezon cities are unrelated and simply part of ongoing conflicts between local fraternities and gangs, police said yesterday.

Metro police chief Director Roberto Rosales said the two explosions “were meant only to sow fear among rival fraternities and gangs.” He also assured the public that the blasts “were not in any way related to any destabilization attempt against the Arroyo” administration.

He noted that nobody was hurt in the twin explosions, though a silver Honda Civic (WFY-927) was damaged in the Quezon City blast.

Reports reaching Rosales stated that the explosion near the Burgundy Plaza building along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City was a result of a fraternity war while the blast in front of the Union Bank Plaza building along Meralco Avenue in Ortigas Center was part of a gang war.

Rosales urged the public not to panic as the National Capital Region Police Office is on top of the peace and order in Metro Manila despite the fact that the NCRPO is in the thick of security preparations for typhoon “Santi” and the observance of All Saints’ Day on Sunday.

In his report to Rosales, Chief Superintendent Elmo San Diego, director of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), admitted they have yet to identify the persons who left the improvised explosive device (IED) near the building and their motive.

Inspector Arnulfo Franco, head of the QCPD’s explosive and ordnance division, said the explosion created a crater 1.6 inches deep on the pavement and damaged the back windshield and rear bumper of the parked Honda Civic.

According to Franco, security guard Emer Gaduan was doing the rounds outside the building just before 2 a.m. when he noticed a red sack with smoke coming out of it.

Gaduan ran away and seconds later, the device went off.

Police said the Burgundy Plaza building has a penthouse that was once occupied by President Arroyo and her family. Last June, police also found an IED with C-4 outside the condominium.

In Pasig City, a pillbox exploded just outside the Union Bank Plaza building along Meralco Avenue in Ortigas Center at about 1:15 a.m.

Chief Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, director of the Eastern Police District (EPD), said his men recovered a piece of aluminum foil with traces of pillbox powder at the blast site.

Mantele said witnesses saw four teenagers in the area before the blast. “One of the teenagers threw the pillbox in front of the bank before the group ran away while shouting slogans,” Mantele said, quoting witnesses.

Rosales directed San Diego and Mantele to dig deeper into the incidents.