The bombing of Congress

Two were killed, including a Congressman while nine were injured when a powerful car bomb exploded at the South wing entrance of the Congress of the Philippines. Accounts say that the bomb took off a few minutes after the Speaker left the House of Representatives. Mrs. Arroyo through her spokesperson Ignacio Bunye ordered the PNP to conduct the investigation. The Speaker immediately condemned the "dastardly" act and ordered the clearing of the entire area. The Speaker blamed extremists, terrorists or anarchists for the bombing. A sweep of the entire Congressional area is being done to check on "other" bombs which police and the Speaker suspect to have been left in the area.

The one who died was the driver of the Toyota Hi-Ace parked at the entrance of the South Wing. The bomb exploded a few minutes after the end of the session. PNP Chief Avelino Razon said over at ANC that the legislators injured owned the vehicles parked near the car carrying the bomb.

The question that everybody is asking--who did it?

Unmistakeably, this is a political act. First, it occurred in Congress where a day after, the justice committee ordered the junking of the Tamano impeachment complaint which was filed before the justice committee to buttress the weak Pulido complaint. Cong. Mat Defensor, the lapdop of Mrs. Arroyo, advised the opposition to just file it in the Supreme Court. Obviously, those who are thinking of a constitutional solution are fast losing hope.

Second, the bomb exploded at the main egress of Congressmen. Meaning, the act was meant to kill, not just to make a statement. If it was just meant to stun or shock or frighten legislators, it could have exploded in the periphery. Accounts on ANC said that the bomb was so powerful, it made a crater. Congresswoman Darlene Antonino described the bombing as so powerful, that they felt the shock waves a few meters away from the blast site.

Statement

The bombing incident wanted to tell the people that, I believe:

1. Those who did this are very serious in whatever struggle they are currently undertaking.
2. They can do it anywhere. Security is traditionally very tight in Congress. The group who masterminded this blast just wanted to show that they can puncture a very tight security such as Congress. Meaning, they can even bomb Malacanan if they wanted to.
3. They have the will to kill their perceived enemies. Obviously, their enemies are not personal enemies. These are ideological enemies.

A bomb meant for the Speaker?

Now, I am not in the habit of impuning a crime to anybody but I remember one interview made by Joey de Venecia during the height of the ZTE controversy. Joey said that he and his father's lives were in danger. He said that certain generals threatened them. The Speaker validated this. Was the bomb meant for the speaker? If it was, then, there must be a reason beyond ZTE to justify this.

A bomb meant for Teves?

Cong. Henry Teves has no known political enemies. However, the Teves clan is very close to the president. His brother was involved in the controversial ZTE deal when former COMELEC chair Ben Abalos called him up to "influence" him in giving a favorable comment on the deal. Was the bomb meant for him?

A bomb meant for Wahab Akbar?

I am sure police and even the palace would use this angle to diffuse the consequences of this incident. Remember Wahab Akbar was the one who allegedly protected the ASG terrorists in Basilan and caused the deaths of the Marines last July. Was the bomb meant for him and those killed and injured were just collateral damages? This is plausible. Akbar has incurred many enemies from his former rebel friends and from the Marines. An interview with Sandra Cam, a friend of the deceased congressman, said that the bomb exploded when Akbar was onboarding his vehicle. However, Cam belied reports that the bomb exploded inside the car of Wahab.

I am just writing this when I heard a news report that Wahab just died due to serious head injuries and fractures. The congressman died while being treated at the Far Eastern University hospital in Fairview Quezon City. Reports are saying that Wahab Akbar received many death threats due to his increasing power in Basilan. He has many blood debts.

What's clear

What is clear is that this incident is politically-motivated and probably masterminded by a determined group of soldiers. However, it is not clear if this group belonged to security forces of the president or rebels. It could be that the bombing was part of another Oplan similar to Oplan Greenbase, perpetuated by state security forces to create instability.

Another clear statement from this incident is this--whatever the goal of the group who did this, it would not be long before this turns into a full-blown one. I mean, it would only be a few days or even weeks, not months. If this group is really determined to do what they conditioned themselves to do, the resolution, surely, will not take months. Therefore, I presume that the end is near for those who betrayed the Filipino People.