Philippines Civil War: Manila Targeted in Series of Bomb Blasts
by Ma Nguyen Tong
29-10-2002
With the Philippines civil war coming to a head and involving hundreds of American troops, separatists in the middle of October 2002 began to concentrate their campaign on Metro Manila in a series of bomb blasts, and bomb threats hitting the country's capital city. Fear gripped the city on October 18 as explosions rocked the city and people died or were ripped apart. Bomb threats flooded the metropolitan area and the Philippine government warned people against going to public places in the following 72 hours. The heightened state of alert remained in place for the rest of October.
Three dead in Manila bus bomb
At least three people were killed by a bomb on a bus in the Philippines capital, Manila on October 18. It was the third bombing incident in two days in the Philippines which was already on high alert following an increased campaign by anti-government forces during the month of October, despite, or perhaps because of, the arrival of an additional 800 American troops, ostensibly as military advisors.
The explosion ripped through the rear of the bus injuring about 20 others. Three bodies were found, but investigators feared there might be more because the pile of collected human flesh was too large to have come from the wounded.
The blast came a day after seven people were killed and more than 150 injured in two bomb explosions in the mostly Christian city of Zamboanga in the south, under attack by Aby Sayyaf separatist forces. Police said the Zamboanga attacks bore the hallmarks of the Abu Sayyaf separatists. Abu Sayyaf recently threatened attacks in retaliation for a military offensive against it, and has been blamed for another bombing in Zamboanga on October that killed four people, including an American Green Beret commando. Marines were also killed in an offensive against the separatist army. The offensive failed although 25 were wounded.
Manila panic
The Philippines went on high alert since the week before with hospitals in the capital city put on "blue alert", the highest possible alert. Some 3,000 police officers were patrolling major shopping malls, banks, government buildings, schools, libaries, bus terminal, train stations, hotels amid fears of attacks similar to those in Zamboanga. Everyone entering any building open to the public was frisked and bags checked for explosives or weapons.
There was panic in Manila earlier on October 18 when a grenade exploded in the Makati financial district. No one was injured. Police found a second grenade which had failed to exploed. It was subsequently destroyed on the spot in a controlled explosion. Both grenades were apparently lobbed from a flyover at passing vehicles below. Later a bomb prompted the evacuation of a high-rise office building.
The latest blast happened late at 2200 hrs local time (1400 GMT) as the bus was travelling through Quezon City near the National Irrigation Administration complex in the National Government Center. The explosion in the back of the blue Golden Highway company bus ripped off its roof and sent debris and body parts flying 20-30 metres.
President's plea
National police operations chief Vidal Querol said: "This is the handiwork of people with evil minds."
Teenage student Merlyn Villareal, who was aboard the bus but was not injured, told GMA7 television: "I was sleeping, then there was a very loud explosion."
"There was chaos, and I was pinned down. I was kicked around and found myself outside the bus."
President Gloria Arroyo visited Zamboanga on October 18, saying the country's bomb attacks had gone from "bad to worse" and urged Filipinos to help fight terrorists.
"Terrorism cannot survive for long in an unfriendly environment," she said and with her usual penchant for tacky slogans added: "Let us give terrorism the unfriendly environment."
Aussie, Brits told to use extreme care and leave
Following the increase in violence around the country, both the Australian and British embassies on October 18 advised their nationals to exercise extreme caution when moving around the capital city and travelling anywher ein the Philippines. It recommended their nationals to leave the country, saying there were credible threats against their citizens and interests in the country were high, given separatist action and the general heightened civil disorder throught the Philippines.
In the British embassy updated travel advisory, officials cautioned British nationals "to remain vigilant and avoid the spontaneous crime, bombings and separatist activity driven by the poverty and desperation of the country's citizens" and their "planned abduction by such people and groups". The Australian embassy also issued a travel ban to most of the Philippines with a recommendation that even Manila was no longer safe and that any of its national not having a pressing need to remain in the country should leave.
Subsequently a number of Western countries issued advisories recommending their citizens stay away from the Philippines because of attacks on Westerners and the threat of more violence and bomb explosions.