Malacañang says: Slay try not part of any destab plot

Malacañang brushed aside speculations yesterday that the bombing of the Hummer H2 sports utility vehicle of Batangas Gov. Armand Sanchez Thursday night, which wounded him and killed his driver and police aide, was part of new destabilization attempts and said authorities must be given enough time to fully look into the incident before any conclusions are made.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said people should just await the findings of the investigating authorities.

"These are individual acts. The authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the incident. Of course, there is a reason for this," Ermita said over radio station dzRB.

"There are people who do not understand public officials. So I suppose there are people who are not happy with what Gov. Sanchez has been doing," he said.

Ermita and Bunye said nobody at this time could tell what really prompted the attack on Sanchez. "Public officials have different situations," Ermita said.

Sanchez suffered second-degree burns while his driver, Luisito Icaro, and bodyguard, PO3 Eric Landicho, were killed when two blasts ripped through the Hummer H2 at about 6:20 p.m. Thursday in front of the provincial Capitol in Batangas City.

Chief Inspector Reynold Rosero, deputy chief of the PNP Bomb Data Center, said the explosive used was meant to inflict maximum damage, adding that the second blast could have involved the vehicle’s gasoline tank.

He said Icaro and Landicho could have survived the explosions had they promptly got out of the vehicle.

Caldero said investigators are eyeing three angles in the bombing, an apparent assassination attempt on Sanchez — politics, business and personal.

A special task force involving the different law enforcement agencies has been formed to look into the incident.

Sanchez has been transferred to an undisclosed hospital in Manila from the Jesus of Nazareth Hospital in Batangas City due to security and medical reasons, provincial administrator Ronie Geron told The STAR.

"Our primary concern is medical, secondary ang security that’s why we transferred him to another hospital somewhere in Manila," he said.

Quoting the governor’s doctors, Geron said he is "already prone to infection because of the continuous arrival of visitors."

"The doctors decided not to put bandages on the facial burns of the governor for a speedy recovery that’s why they recommended a sterile environment," Geron said.

He, however, gave assurance that Sanchez is well.

Meanwhile, local executives have condemned the assassination attempt on Sanchez and called on military and police investigators to "leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of this dastardly crime" and arrest its perpetrators.

The Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) and the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) said this crime against one of their members would not deter local executives from doing their normal public functions.

Both groups, however, called on them to exercise greater vigilance in protecting themselves from similar attacks by shadowy groups who could be out to embarrass the government and portray its supposed failure to maintain peace and order.

In a joint statement, ULAP and LPP said investigators should spare no effort in solving this case, more so because one of the theories raised by the police is that the slay attempt could be part of the latest destabilization efforts against the Arroyo administration.

"We condemn in the strongest terms possible this dastardly crime committed against one of our local chief executives and are calling on investigators from both the police and military to leave no stone unturned in solving this case and putting the assailants behind bars soonest," said Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado.