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Critical Terror Of The Bomb Blast In Cotabato City: Brutes Of The Philippines
9 July 2009
Views presented in this humble article were culled from conversations the past two days with individuals which imparted indispensible and critical sights and sounds on the deadly bomb blast that rocked Cotabato City around 8:30am last Sunday which, so far, killed six and wounded around 50 individuals. Identities of the resource persons shall be kept undisclosed as they requested. 1.The closed circuit television (CCTV) / surveillance camera had captured and recorded a segment on a person who crossed a street and subsequently placed a package on a small store that sells roasted pig, and which contained the bomb that exploded later on, was relatively dim. At that store that sells roasted pig (lechon pig), based on the CCTV recording as shown in the media reports, the person, who placed and left behind the package that contained the improvised explosive device (IED) that exploded, appeared to have bought something, most probably a roasted pig. It was even cited in the report of the ABS-CBN Central Mindanao News Team that indeed the person that left behind the package that exploded had bought something from the store. Subsequently, the second captured and recorded CCTV segment that showed the said person walked out / away from the store through the side walk of the Central Bank and facing the CCTV was even dimmer. In both segments, this person, who is surely the guy who placed the exploded IED, was hardly recognizable. If only these captured CCTV two segments were not dim, then most probably one or two of the millions people who had viewed the same could have recognize the person and therefore speculations will no longer be arising as to the real personality or personalities behind the bombing in Cotabato City last Sunday. Surprising? Yes, very surprising indeed because the subsequent segments from the same CCTV, to include the actual explosion, immediately following the earlier two segments cited, were quite clear. Nonetheless, these CCTV captured and recorded surveillance must not be edited and be preserved in consonance with the rules of evidence as provided for by laws and under the procedures on criminal investigations, particularly on crime scene. Apparently, the shown CCTV footages were just segments or merely part of the whole captured and recorded material. 2.Revelation of one resource person said that military men on board their vehicles had patrolled in the area for at least two times prior to the explosion of the IED. He said the soldiers on that patrolling vehicle were closely looking around and on every individual in the vicinity. But unfortunately, they had not noticed nor recognized the perhaps so suspicious package placed conspicuously at the mini-store that sells roasted / cooked pig that exploded and terroristically claimed big number of casualties on innocent civilians, to include children. How could these military security watchdogs missed seeing or recognizing the so suspicious a package. 3.Not a single Muslim will have the stomach to go near a store that sells roasted / cooked pig. More so, that no Muslim will buy something from a store that only sells roasted / cooked pig. By nature, just the smell of such forbidden food would cause a Muslim to vomit and feel uncomfortable. 4.The target was not the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Cotabato City as being badly and maliciously portrayed and sensationalized in the media reports. The bomb explosion did not took place inside the compound of the Cathedral but at that mini-store along the road across the Cathedral, which is more or less 40 meters away from the main gate of the Cathedral and more or less 15 meters away from its secondary gate. Nonetheless, this bombing should be condemned to strongest term possible as being act of terrorism and satanically motivated to advance sinister agenda even at the extent of instigating religious and civil conflict between Christians and Muslims, particularly in Cotabato City and Central Mindanao, and in the country as a whole. 5.The mini-store where the explosion took placed was closer to Central Bank, Metro Bank, BDO Bank, McDonald Food House and other business stores than to the Cathedral. Furthermore, the bomb explosion happened while there were rumors and media reports that the government and MILF peace negotiating panels are on the verge of coming into common terms / framework for the resumption of the peace negotiations that had been stalled since the aborted signing of the GRP – MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) Malaysia last August 5, 2008. Based on this viewpoint, the bombing hinged on economic and political motives and not on religion - that is to sabotage local economy and politics as well as the GRP – MILF peace process, the negotiations in particular. The question, therefore, is who has the drive and desire to perpetuate and pursue these motives? 6.Why was the immediate reparation of the damage store that sells roasted pig where the IED exploded was allowed, accordingly, just a day after the incident? Does it mean that the investigation, especially forensic, had been substantial and completed so much so that reparation of the store, which might contaminate, if not destroy, evidences or more, is already allowable. 7.The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) again clinging to its trademark to point the accusing finger to the MILF Special Operations Group (SOG) which it said was recently trained by Jemaah Islamiya (JI) on bombings and that bombing in Cotabato City was a test mission, and that there will be more bombings by the MILF SOG in many parts of the country in the subsequent days. To sum it up, these accusations and insinuations by the AFP are efforts designed and motivated toward tagging the MILF as terrorist group. True indeed that strings of bombings had happened recently to include that incidents at the Office of the Ombudsman and Department of Land Reform in Manila and other parts of Central Mindanao weeks before, in Cotabato City last Sunday, and yesterday in Jolo, Sulu and in Iligan City and Lanao del Norte. The bomb explosion in Cotabato City was never an isolated incident, and records and history would bear it out that every time the AFP made a pronouncement that the MILF will perpetrate litany of bombings then indeed spate of bombings had subsequently took place. Are these AFP foretelling and pronouncements against MILF integral part of intelligence of undisputed realiability? The answer is certainly NO because A1 intelligence should not be publicized. But the intention was to precondition the minds of the public so that when strings of bombings had took place then the public and even international community shall put the immediate blame on the MILF. Could these be AFP / government or third party special operations which can be linked to the growing perceptions and beliefs that the government is bent to create the scenario to justify its eventual declaration of martial law for the purpose of keeping and prolonging its stay in power beyond 2010. 8.While the government provided financial and perhaps other assistance to the victims of the bomb blast in Cotabato City, yet no assistance was provided by the government to the victims of bombing that took place at Barangay Poblacion, Datu Piang, Maguindanao the night before the incident of bomb blast in Cotabato City. Relatedly, if the entire country condemned the bombings in Cotabato City and elsewhere then why don’t condemn the bombing in Datu Piang, for one, and the immense human rights violations being committed by AFP and other government forces in Maguindanao and other provinces such as the burning of more than 2000 houses owned by the civilians, destructions of religious symbols, food blockade and collective punishment? Why the government or even its shadow did not provide assistance or just visited the victims of bombings in Datu Piang when they were being confined at hospitals? Is it because the victims are Muslims and therefore human rights violations and criminalities against them by government forces and authorities can be committed with impunity? 9.The bombing in Cotabato City was intended to divert attention from and condemnation of the pronouncements by the AFP that the more than 300,000 internally displaced individuals (IDPs) as “enemy reserve forces.” This pronouncement by AFP on Tuesday (June 30, 2009) before 50 plus journalists in a media forum caught the attention and even condemnation of the whole world as such was totally in contravention of the Philippine Constitution that expressly emphasized the AFP being the protector of the people and the state, violated the protocols on internal conflict, international humanitarian laws, internationally recognized-human rights and other international conventions on war and conflict. 10.Worst case scenario would unfold if there would be bombings on Masjid or Mosque this Friday or coming days particularly in Cotabato City or elsewhere because the repercussions and consequences will be very damaging and too much to bear. God forbid. 11.Give peace, justice and development a chance in Mindanao.
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