Glorietta Mall closed following blast

(UPDATE 11) ‘Bomb likely’ in Makati mall blast--Razon

Up to 8 dead, up to 70 hurt

By Thea Alberto
Agence France-Presse, INQUIRER.net
Last updated 05:10pm (Mla time) 10/19/2007


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Close this MANILA, Philippines -- An explosion that killed up to eight people at a shopping mall in Makati City early Friday afternoon was "probably caused by a bomb," Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon told Agence France-Presse.

Alfonso Reyes, spokesman of Ayala Corp., which operates the Glorieta 2 Mall where the explosion occurred at around 1:40 p.m., said eight people had been killed. Razon concurred with this figure, saying they also have counted up to 70 wounded.

Dr. Anthony Golez, spokesman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council and deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, told INQUIRER.net from the Makati Medical Center that there were four dead and 56 wounded at the hospital.

Police investigators at the scene of the explosion identified four of the dead as Liza Marquez, Jose Allan de Jesus, Lester Peregrina and nursing student Janine Marcos. All died of shrapnel injuries.

At an earlier press briefing carried live by radio and television, Dr. Ernesto Santos of the Makati Medical Center said the four fatalities were “dead on arrival” and at least two of the wounded were “critical.”

Santos said the other casualties all suffered “blast injuries.”

Asked to describe the fatalities at the Makati Medical Center, Golez said they died due to "burns and massive internal bleeding."

"It doesn't look good," he said.

Razon said: "From our assessment this is not what was initially reported as LPG [liquefied petroleum gas].”

"This was a bomb. But beyond that we can't say anything else yet because we are still investigating. What I can say is it was not LPG that caused this."

Director Geary Barias, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, said they have yet to determine whether the explosion was caused by a grenade or an improvised explosive device and " are not discounting anything," including the possibility that the explosion was a terrorist attack.

Barias also said there had been no intelligence reports prior to the blast, despite a terror alert issued earlier this month by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, which is composed of various security institutions like the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“We actually picked up several dead and wounded,” Makati Councilor Erwin Binay said.

He said the explosion left an eight-meter (26-foot) wide crater on the ground floor and blew a hole through the roof on the second floor.

"From what I have seen it was a significant explosion and that most of the dead and injured were all employees," he said.

Witnesses said the blast occurred in a section of the mall with clusters of stores selling baby clothes and toys.

The explosion had panicked shoppers running out of the mall as smoke billowed out of the building.

Mall security and police immediately sealed off the area and shepherded people away as ambulances rushed in to evacuate casualties.

People leaving the mall told INQUIRER.net said they felt the whole shopping complex shake as from an earthquake as the “strong” explosion happened in the area between the Glorietta 1 and 2 buildings. They also said they saw windows shatter from the blast.

Two cars and two delivery vans were buried under wooden planks and concrete debris outside the mall.

"It was so powerful," clothing store clerk Jeric Balendes told AFP on the scene, as rescuers applied first aid on his cuts and bruises.

"The roof just collapsed on us. I could hear my three co-workers screaming. I got out through a small hole. I don't know if they got out."

Bomb squad teams sifted through the debris looking for clues, while extra police were drafted in to divert traffic and seal off the surrounding area -- one of the busiest shopping districts of Manila.

Binay said roads to hospitals in the city have been secured as rescue teams continued to scour the area where the explosion occurred, which the councilor described as “severely damaged,” for more possible victims.

“We’ll keep the area evacuated until we know more,” Reyes said.

He also assured the victims and their relatives of assistance from Ayala Corp.

“We will certainly makes sure [that] anyone [who] needs attention will be able to get it,” Reyes said.

Police did not immediately name likely suspects for the attack, but Islamic extremists were blamed for a bomb attack on a bus near the site of Friday’s explosion. That attack killed four people in February 2005.

Militants also firebombed a ferry on Manila Bay the previous year, killing more than 100 people in the country's worst terrorist attack
:help:














as of 5:06

MANILA, Philippines -- Mall authorities, as of this posting, have ordered the Glorietta Mall in the financial district of Makati closed following an explosion that killed at least four people.

About 35 people were confirmed injured in the blast and were rushed to the Makati Medical Center, said Mike Descalzo of Makati Traffic.

:shock: news update

3 yata namatay dyan sand... nabalitaan ko rin yan kanina..

badnews talaga

ang alam ko nadagdagan na yung casualty dito.. dito pa naman sa part na to ako madalas magpunta..

bad news yan :what: salamat sa balita tatang :punish:

bad news p0h... tsk

:hunter::hunter::hunter::hunter::hunter::hunter:

dyan nga ako dati nag wo work.. sa glorieta 2! sa gold crest

Mga demonyo talaga may kagagawan nyan! Yan ang mga dapat mahuli at ma death penalty!

Problema wala na kasi nun kaya malakas ang loob ng mga demonyong yan!

Let's all pray for the victims and their families.

Nakakainis talaga. :ranting:

wala nga talaga silang konsensya eh....

dapat maaksyunan agad ito ng pnp and militar.. hindi natin alam.. bukas o makalawa tyo naman ang mabiktima......

Bomba man or LPG, wala na talagang safe na lugar ngayon. I heard 89 were injured daw. Kaya ingat kayo guys lalo na sa public places like MRT, LRT, terminals and malls. Extreme happenings come in the most unexpected times. Lets be responsible and keen observers. Ingat and always be alert.

Pagdasal natin ang pamilya ng mga nabiktima.

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:slap:

tama nga yan boyti...

pero ang higit sa lahat.. WAG tyo makakalimot tumawag sa DIYOS...
magulo na ang mundo natin... sya lang ang kakampi natin... kahit anung ingat natin.. kung wala yung pag iinbat nya.. wala rin....

just always pray.. and have FAITH..

chek niyo po yung pics jan..
http://disneycute.multiply.com/photos/album/25/Glorietta_2_Bombing

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=96375

waaahhhh dun nga yan mismo malapit sa pinapasukan ko dati..

grabe talaga

Grabe daming comments dun sa multiply site! Mayron pang reporter from France na humihingi ng copy ng pics.

naniniwala ba kyo na LPG lng ang may gawa nyan???? tingin ko pinag tatakpan ng pnp ang tutuo...

Skeptical kasi di daw pinapasok ng police ang SOCO's, e diba sila dapat unang mag search ng scene? Baka ginalaw na ng Makati Police yung area.

uu nga! dapat soco muna dba?... imposibleng lpg blast lng yan... kitang kita naman sa damage na bomba talaga ang sumabog dyan... walang maniniwala sa kanila

parang imposible na LPG lang yun e...grabe yung damage uh!:ranting:

Per 24 Oras of GMA, 8 na ang casualty. 89 were wounded...

waaaahhh grabe na tlaga!!!

alam nyo dapat na talaga baguhin ang sistema satin e...masyado kase maluwag ang batas satin...kaya di natatakot ang mga gumagawa ng gulo!

hayyyy mga walang magwa naman gusto mnakaot ng tao gusto manakit ng walang kamaly malay sana ngayon palang nasa impyerno na may pakana nyan...sana karmahin na wala namang silbi yan d2 sa mundo mga unggoy kau labas dyan :punish:

sana nga sand...bakit sa ibang country kaya nila walang ganyan, kamote kase mga nasa posisyon e...

ang galing ng pics s multiply. disney cute :lol: pro galing :D

natakot tlg ako dito kse madalas ako dun :( huhuhuh...pano kaya kung ako nadamay dun ano...mahilig pa naman ako mag emote mag isa..lakad ng lakad sa mall :(

nakapagtataka nga.. knina pag pasok ko papuntang work ng 9:00am sasakay ako ng
LRT2 nakapagtataka na mayroong (K9) bomb sniffing dog na naka-station sa dalawang dulo ng tren. kahapon wala pa naman un. at hindi naman mahigpit ang check sa bag ng mga guard sa baba.

which means mayroon nang nasagap na intel tungkol sa mangyayaring pagsabog...

nakapanghihinayang.... dahil di nila nahanap ang bombsite.... :weep:

ang galing ng pics s multiply. disney cute :lol: pro galing :D

natakot tlg ako dito kse madalas ako dun :( huhuhuh...pano kaya kung ako nadamay dun ano...mahilig pa naman ako mag emote mag isa..lakad ng lakad sa mall :(
naku po ate kers wag kang ganyan.... :weep: di namin kakayanin un... :weep:

nakapagtataka nga.. knina pag pasok ko papuntang work ng 9:00am sasakay ako ng
LRT2 nakapagtataka na mayroong (K9) bomb sniffing dog na naka-station sa dalawang dulo ng tren. kahapon wala pa naman un. at hindi naman mahigpit ang check sa bag ng mga guard sa baba.

which means mayroon nang nasagap na intel tungkol sa mangyayaring pagsabog...

nakapanghihinayang.... dahil di nila nahanap ang bombsite.... :weep:

minsan tuloy di ko maiwasan magisip na planted mga yan e, para magawa nila gusto nila kailanganpa mandamay ng inosente! hay...buhay nga naman...

haysss...bat kea gnun... :pray: sana d na mangyari ulit sa mga MALLS d2 sa pinas

haii... mga pinoy tlga oh!

dun na mag higpit kung may nangyari na....

WALANG GANYAN SA STATES!

hahahahahaha!
:rofl:

haii... mga pinoy tlga oh!

dun na mag higpit kung may nangyari na....

WALANG GANYAN SA STATES!

hahahahahaha!
:rofl:
ahihi.. uu nga kasi sa states pag nag purchase ka ng electronics or tools sa hardware diretso na sa database ng polis un. pag nag register na components ng bomb parts ang majority ng mabili mo ayun alarm agad. di lang nila inasahan ung 9/11.

minsan tuloy di ko maiwasan magisip na planted mga yan e, para magawa nila gusto nila kailanganpa mandamay ng inosente! hay...buhay nga naman...
tama ka dyan bro... parang ayaw nila umunlad ang pinas.

haysss...bat kea gnun... :pray: sana d na mangyari ulit sa mga MALLS d2 sa pinas
di na mangyayari yan kasi nagising nanaman sila. alam naman nilang may gyera sa mindanao di cla naglagay ng counter measures sa capital natin. e mostly ata ng hinahabol nila dun nandito eh :panic:

hintay nalang natin kung sinong aako sa bombing ngayon. yan daw ang susunod na mangyayari sabi ng uncle ko bombsquad..

hidi kaya terorista yan??? o mga taong gusto lng guluhin ang gobyerno

dahil ba sa lpg yun? paang ang lakas naman masyado ng pagsabog?

hidi kaya terorista yan??? o mga taong gusto lng guluhin ang gobyerno

mahirap kase paniwalaan sa ngayon kung sino man ang aamin nyan...masyado maraming dahilan para gawin nila yun...:slap::ranting::weep: basta eto na lang magagawa natin...:pray::pray::pray:

wala paring umaako ano ba yan? hindi kya testing palang yan.... kailangan magingat at vigilant na mga pinoy. lalu na at mag uundas na. bat ganun bat samin wala paring checkpoint hanggang ngayon... huhu.... wag na sana nilang hintaying maulit..

UPDATES as of October 21, 2007
Police check on RSM claim in mall blast

MANILA – Police are verifying reports that the Rajah Sulayman Movement (RSM) was the one responsible for Friday’s mall explosion in Makati City that killed at least nine people and wounded more than 100 others.

Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon said they are still verifying reports that RSM spokesman Ruben Omar Lavilla, alias Sheik Omar, sent a text message to ABS-CBN and claimed responsibility for the Glorietta 2 mall blast.

Post your comments on the explosion at the Glorietta 2 mall in Makati City.

RSM is a terror organization composed of converted Islams and operating in Manila and Northern Luzon.

Razon said the person claiming as Omar was speaking in Muslim during the television interview while police records showed that the latter is an Illonggo.

Lavilla, a former professor of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, also allegedly demanded the release of RSM founder Hilarion del Rosario Santos, alias Ahmed Santos, who was captured in 2005.

The RSM has been tagged as responsible for the Rizal Day bombings of an LRT train and a passenger bus in Manila in 2000 and the Valentine’s Day bombings in Davao City, General Santos City and Makati in 2004.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on the other hand has called a full National Security Council meeting early next week.

The meeting will be attended by former President Fidel Ramos, Senate President Manuel Villar, House Speaker Jose de Venecia and other stakeholders to discuss measures that will assure public safety after the recent bomb blast.

Arroyo ordered police to "leave no stone unturned" in their investigation.

She called a Cabinet security meeting Saturday with police and military officials at the national police headquarters.

Arroyo said the Glorietta 2 blast is just one of several problems facing the country's economic growth, the others being oil price hikes, and so-called "political noise."

But she said with the Filipino people united and continuing to work hard, they will overcome the problems they now face.

Military issued

Last Friday’s explosion ripped through three floors of the Glorietta 2 mall, hurling slabs of concrete, twisting steel reinforcements, and shattering glass panels. Earlier, police reports had said a fuel tank caused the blast.

Evidence collected from the mall indicates that the bomb “contained RDX, the main chemical component of C4,” the police said in a report to President Arroyo.

“We can assume those are military ordnance components. We presume those explosives could be of that origin,” a police chemist, whose name was not disclosed, told Arroyo at the conference.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said RDX is a controlled substance.

The PNP chemist said they are still trying to collect more samples from the site. “At this point in time that is what we got from our laboratory,” added the chemist.

The PNP said it has asked its counterparts abroad for assistance in preventing a repeat of Friday’s deadly explosion at the Glorietta 2 mall.

Razon said he has ordered the PNP’s anti-terror group Task Force Sanlahi to be “on the lookout” for terrorism suspects.

“We have this watchlist of terrorists and directed Task Force Sanlahi to be on the lookout and arrest them if they are in the area,” he said.

Razon added: “We also requested different security agencies to instruct security guards to be more deliberate in the conduct of their search of bags and packages entering these places.”

National Capital Region Police Director Geary Barias said they have also started reviewing closed-circuit TV (CCTV) footage of the area where the blast occurred Friday afternoon.

“CCTV footage is being reviewed to detect suspects in the incident. Coordination has been made with management to provide the structural design of the building,” Barias said.

Days ago, Razon ordered “maximum security coverage” at possible southern Philippine terror targets, such as critical infrastructure, malls, transport hubs, and religious shrines, following police intelligence reports of possible terror bombings after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Death toll now 10
A Makati Rescue Team member recovered one more body, the 10th fatality, buried under rubble inside the mall late Saturday night.

Rescuers identified the latest fatality as Maureen de Leon, 23 of Quezon City. Her body was found around 10 p.m. Saturday at the stairs going to the basement of the mall.

The discovery of de Leon's body followed the retrieval of Rainer Tan's remains, which was found at the rubble under the escalator of Glorietta 2.

Makati City Police Chief Superintendent Gilbert Cruz said the body of Tan was identified by his wife Normita.

Authorities said rescuers and investigators were having a difficult time in their operations because the site was covered with thick dust and piles of debris while the mall’s basement was submerged in knee-deep water.

The report said a big piece of cement that fell from the second floor was also hindering the operations of the rescue team.

Rescue teams have agreed to wrap up the retrieval and rescue operations after the recovery of de Leon’s body.

P3-million reward

The government has also raised a P3 million to anyone who can give information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspects in Friday’s deadly bombing in Glorietta 2 mall.

Barias said the President has announced a P2-million reward to encourage citizens to help identify the bombing suspects.

The City Government of Makati together with the business community has also vowed to give out P1-million money reward.

“This (bombing) case is not yet conclusive. But if ever this was an act of terrorism, then we will raise money worth P1 million. This is the initial amount that we are offering” said Councilor Jejomar Binay Jr.

Authorities have already ruled out the theory that a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank triggered the explosion.

Operations at the Glorietta 1, 3, and 4 were “back to normal" as both foreign and local mall goers flocked the shopping mall when it opened at around 10:15 a.m. Saturday.

The Ayala Land Inc. had expressed their deep condolences to the families of the victims of tragedy, ensuring the public that they are “extending their outmost care and maximum treatment to the injured and the families of those who were killed in this tragedy.”

“We at Ayala Land deeply were saddened by Friday’s explosion in Glorietta 2. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the families affected by the tragedy,” said Jaime I. Ayala, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ayala Lands Inc.

“We are beefing up the security, not just in Glorietta but also in all of our other malls. We will be complimenting our regular compliment of 120 security men by 20 percent to protect the public. We will have additional personnel and bomb sniffing dogs. This move is in addition to the metal detectors we installed last year,” he said.

Probe on Trillanes

Police will also be asking Senator Antonio Trillanes on the basis of his allegation naming Esperon as the mastermind behind the Glorietta bombing.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno directed the police to interview the senator if he has evidence to back his claim.

Puno added that this is a “very serious matter,” and accusations like those should be investigated.

On Friday, Trillanes identified Esperon and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales as possibly behind the explosion.

He said the incident was similar to the so-called “Oplan Greenbase," in 2003, which allegedly included the bombing of the Davao International Airport and the Sasa wharf.

“Let us not play around with lives of people here. There is fair game and unfair game, a tragedy that befalls people like this is not fair game. We implore the political opposition to please exclude this tragedy from their laundry list of issues they are going to fire at the administration,” he said.


-----------------------------------------------------
Police investigators identified the 10 casualties as:

1. Jose Allan De Jesus
2. Liza Marquez
3. Lester Peregrina
4. Janine Marcos
5. Anthony Marius Arroyo
6. Maria Celeste Cruz
7. Jee Ann De Gracia
8. Cesar Nino Vidano
9. Rainier Tan
10. Maureen de Leon

There’s one more person who should be on this list. One of the victims was pregnant.

Taxi driver Mario Em said he had just dropped off two female passengers at the mall when the blast hurled the two women against his vehicle, killing them instantly.

He said he pulled one of the victims, who was pregnant, from underneath his car.

Please observe a moment of silence for the victims and their families.

nice light...grabe ipagdasal natin cla....

grabe talaga pare!!!

mga bro nabalitaan nyo na ba kanina ung sunog sa GLORIETTA 4... wala news ngayun baka bukas pa natin makikita.

at oo nga pala may nakitang Bomba kaninang hapon sa labas ng Isetan buti hindi nag detonate. kyalang nakapagtataka ung bomba na yun. wala lng feel ko lng..

wait natin ang news bukas..

:lmao: narinig ko ata sa channel 2 yan kaso saglit lang heheh kanina nagka sunog sa glorietta :panic: mga tao tsk tsk tsk kala terorista nanaman. :salute: :guns: :kill:

trauma na kase sila bro...grabe na kase satin e

as of now nakita ko sa headline sa newspaper 11 na ang patay!!! :tsk tsk tsk!!!

:what: nkakatakot naman.... lets us pray for the souls of those who passed away....

PNP: Accident in Glorietta becoming more and more likely

No bomb components found

MANILA, Philippines -- Several sources of ignition near the seat of explosion make it appear more likely Friday’s deadly blast at the Glorietta 2 mall in Makati City was an accident, police officials said Monday.

However, Director Geary Barias, National Capital Region Police Office chief, was quick to say that all possible angles -- including a bomb attack -- continue to be investigated.

"After rescue and clearing operations at the blast site, we have sifted through a lot of debris and rubble and are continuing this procedure in search of IED [improvised explosive device] components that will help us determine whether or not this explosion was intentionally or accidentally caused," Barias told a press conference.

But he acknowledged that investigators have thus far not recovered any bomb components such as timing device, power sources, initiators, switches and containers.

Friday’s explosion killed 11 persons and injured more than 100 others. Ayala Land, which owns and operates the Glorietta mall, placed estimated property damage at P100 million pesos to around 3,500 square meters.

Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman, who heads the inter-agency task force investigating the explosion, noted that there were diesel and motor tanks near the seat of explosion at the basement of Glorietta 2.

He said the diesel tank could hold up to 3,500 liters. Earlier, Chief Inspector Reynold Rosero of the Philippine Bomb Data Center said there was also a septic tank in the basement that could emit methane gas and cause an explosion.

"Part of this [tank’s] cover flipped up and punctured holes," Ticman said, pointing to an illustration of the diesel tank. He also said the ceiling of the Glorietta 2 had become concave, which could mean there was great pressure from underground.

Authorities said the task force has tapped several metallurgical (metal) and petrochemical experts here and abroad to help them in the investigations.

National Police Director General Avelino Razon said although the accident angle is being looked into, earlier findings of the PNP Crime Laboratory about the presence of RDX, an ingredient the explosive C4, still stand.

RDX could also be an ingredient of toothpaste and or shampoo, bomb experts said.

"That finding [of RDX presence] still stands...we are getting all the data...to piece together all these evidence," said Razon.

"We cannot conclude yet what happened to Glorietta 2…this is a very tedious process...it is like looking for a needle in a haystack," Razon added.

Meanwhile, Ticman said siphoning operations already yielded some 19 truckloads of oil, diesel and grease from the basement. This is set for laboratory examination.

ikaw,kayo...sila? ako?maniniwala ba na accident lang ang lahat?:noidea: :slap::kill:

aNu ba ang latest news bout this?

Akala ko ba may traces of C4?

wala nga nakita hayyy paiba iba ng statement....walang makitag fragments parang ung gas nga nila ang nag leak sa baba :no:

sa tingin ko kahit gas leak pa ang sabihin nila.... eh mukang c4 talaga ang sumabog dun... dahil sa grbe ng pinsala... pero hindi pa naman nila sinasantabi na bomba nga ang sumabog

puro sila :liar::liar: mana sila kay :gma: dapat sa kanila ay ganito...:hit:

waaahhhh tama nga yan rodel.... puro lang sila pasasa!!! mga taumbayan naman ang kawawa

wala na yata tayong pwede pagtiwalaal sa pinas e...puro contreversy, puro kaso, my nakulong at naparusahan na ba?:noidea::noidea: WALA! as in WALA!:slap:

Latest casualty count: 8 dead, 86 wounded in blast - Councilor Binay

(Updated as of 5:15 p.m.) Makati City Councilor Jejomar Erwin "Junjun" Binay on Friday said the latest tally of the casualties in the explosion indicate that eight people died while 86 others were wounded in the blast that rocked a mall in the country's business district. - GMANews.TV


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the government are playing blind here. its so sad to hear that.