EDITORIAL - Find them, stop them

Nearly a week after an explosion rocked the heart of Makati, police investigators appear to be nowhere close to finding the perpetrators. No one was reported hurt in the blast, but this seemed to be the intent of the culprits since the bomb was set off in a vacant lot. The blast, however, was powerful enough to shatter some windowpanes in nearby buildings. It was fortunate that no one was injured, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that an explosive has again been set off in one of the country’s busiest districts, and no one has been caught.

Theories have been leaked about possible destabilization by political elements, although the police chief of Metro Manila brushed this aside as nothing but intrigue. Another theory links the blast to a bus bombing that killed four people in Makati last year. That attack was blamed on extortionists.

Regardless of the motive, explosives going off in the nation’s premier region can only be bad news. The situation is made worse by cases such as the one in Taguig, where two policemen, a junkshop owner and his helper were killed while 10 others were wounded when the cops went to the junkshop to have a bomb defused last Wednesday. The cops reportedly belonged to the Explosives Ordnance Division of the elite Special Action Force so they should have been familiar with the safe handling of bombs.

There are only a handful of individuals or organizations authorized to possess bombs or certain key components for explosives. They must be placed under closer monitoring, with regulations tightened, even as security forces continue their task of going after those engaged in the illegal manufacture of explosives.

At the start of his term, President Aquino went ballistic and accused certain unnamed foreign governments, through their negative travel advisories on the country, of sabotaging his early efforts to lure investments and tourism. The recent explosions in Makati and Taguig can only reinforce perceptions of high security risks in the Philippines. The President should demand more results from police investigators. While no one was reported hurt in the Makati explosion, there’s always the possibility that the next blast will not be as harmless.