CORDOVA BLAST
THE wounded bomb maker in Cordova town on Mactan Island was found to have links with a crime gang based in Lapu-Lapu City and was not associated with any terrorist group, police said Sunday.
Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, Police Regional Office- Central Visayas (PRO-7) director, said they have information that the bomb maker is a member of a group that sells illegal drugs and does criminal acts in Cebu.
“He is involved in a gang. Kadtong mga nakita sa iyaha gamiton to nila sa panghold-up o panghadlok sa ilang mga karibal,” Sinas said in a press conference yesterday at Camp Sergio Osmena, the PRO-7 headquarters.
(The evidence confiscated from him was intended to be used for their criminal acts like robbery or in going against their rival groups)
Three hand guns, several rounds of ammunition and components to make an improvised explosive device (EID) — bags of ammonium nitrate and nails— were found by responding policemen in the bomb maker’s rented house in Sitio Datag, Barangay Buagsong, Cordova shortly after the blast occurred at past 5 p.m. on Friday.
Sinas added that the bomb maker’s live-in partner admitted that the suspect was a drug pusher and made improvised explosive devices (IED) for illegal fishing.
Aside from the shabu recovered by the police on Friday, Sinas said that the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) were able to recover other packs of shabu on Saturday inside the same house.
Going after the crime group
The Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO), meanwhile, was now on the look out for the men who were seen visiting the bomb maker prior to the incident.
Senior Supt. Manuel Abrugena, CPPO director, said they received a report that the bomb maker belonged to a group involved in the illegal drug trade in Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova, the two local government units on Mactan Island.
“Hinahanap na namin yung tatlo pang kasama niya. Na sinasabi na mga kagrupo niya,” Abrugena said.
(We are now looking for the other three persons who were said to be his cohorts and belonged to the same criminal group)
Sinas, on the other hand, said they considered the incident as “case closed” even as they would continue to go after the bomb maker’s cohorts.
Critical condition
Earlier police reports said the bomb maker, 33, was in the process of making the IED when it exploded, hitting him in the different parts of his body, the face and right hand.
“He is still in critical condition (as of Sunday). Putol iyang kamay, nabuta pa siya ug nasunog iyang nawong,” Sinas said. (He is still in critical condition as of Sunday. His hand was severed, he is now blind, and his face was burned)
But according to the live-in partner, the blast did not happen because he was making the bomb but because he was using the IED to scare her after she decided to end their relationship, Sinas said.
Sinas said the bomb maker lit the fuse of the IED and threw it in the direction of his partner, who ran outside the house.
The bomb hit the door and bounced back inside the house before it exploded.
Business community’s concern
Cebu’s business community, meanwhile, has expressed concern over the negative effect of last Friday’s explosion to the image of Cebu as a safe place for residents and tourists.
Steven Yu, vice president for external affairs of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), said further investigation should be done, as the incident happened just a day after President Rodrigo Duterte visited Cebu for the inauguration of the multi-billion-peso Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 2 last Thursday.
“The business community is alarmed by this development, however, we need to do further investigation on this matter so we will know from which angle we aim our preventive and protective measures,” he told CDN.
He added that the business community would always welcome transparent and constant dialogue with law enforcement agencies to ensure a safe and peaceful community.
For his part, Cebu Business Club President Gordon Alan Joseph said the incident should be a wake up call for authorities to improve their intelligence networks.
“What is scary was that he was discovered only because the IED accidentally exploded,” Joseph told CDN.
“Authorities must move quickly and decisively to develop their intelligence networks to detect possible terror attacks before they happen. They must also investigate to discover accomplices or people who failed to report his suspicious behavior,” he added.
Although Joseph believed there would be no immediate impact to businesses following the incident, he said it will become a “major concern” if not
addressed immediately.
Stakeholders in the tourism sector are also calling for the immediate resolution of the incident.
They believed, though, that the incident was an isolated case.
“We don’t want to create undue worry or fear. We expect more diligent police work to solve special cases of peace and order such as this incident,” said Alice Queblatin, president of the Cebu Association of Tour Operations Specialists (CATOS).
She said the incident could just be a local peace and order issue and does not reach the consciousness of tourists unless it is brought to their attention.
Carlo Suarez, president of the Hotel, Resort, Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) also remained confident that the police and military are on top of the situation.
He added that despite the incident, the tourism community is expecting more tourist arrivals in the next few weeks with the opening of MCIA’s Terminal 2, which will start commercial operations by July 1. /with reports from Benjie B. Talisic and Jose Santino S. Bunachita