Philippine President Condemns Bombings in Manila

Philippine President Joseph Estrada condemned a spate of bombings in Manila Saturday, December 30, that killed at least 11 persons and promised to exhaust all efforts to hunt down the culprits.

"Once and for all, I want to assure our people that my administration can not tolerate such barbaric acts," Estrada said in a statement broadcast on local radio and TV stations.

"These acts can be done only by people without any sense of humanity. Those behind the acts are cowardly and desperate, and only want to promote their political agenda at the expense of the lives of their fellow Filipinos," he said.

The president said he has ordered the national police to immediately undertake a thorough investigation that would lead to the immediate arrest of the culprits.

He said he has also directed the armed forces to mobilize intelligence agencies and provide the national police with all the necessary support in the investigation.

"Preventive measures have been put in place to ensure public safety, avoid further damage to property and safeguard public utilities," he said.

In the meantime, Estrada appealed to the public to remain calm, saying the government is doing everything possible to go after the culprits.

"I assure you the government will use the full force of the law to stop this violence," he said.

Five bomb explosions occurred in the country's capital area on Saturday, killing at least 11 persons and wounding 90 others, authorities said.

The first four explosions hit almost simultaneously at around noon.The police found a fifth bomb at a gas station near a five- star hotel later and tried to defuse it, but the bomb went off, killing one policeman and injuring another.

The biggest explosion occurred at a Light Railway Transit station at Bluementritt when a train pulled in, leaving nine persons dead and more than 60 wounded.

The other two bomb blasts happened near an aviation fuel depot at the cargo terminal of Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport and at a park near the U.S. Embassy respectively, wounding more than 10 people in total.

The explosions took place a day after the police announced the capture of two Abu Sayyaf members whose alleged mission was to sow terror in the capital area during the Christmas holiday.

Earlier this year, Abu Sayyaf rebels abducted scores of foreigners and Filipinos in the country's worst hostage crisis. All but two of the hostages, an American and a Filipino, have been released. The military started an offensive against the rebels on the southern island of Jolo on September 16 to rescue the hostages.






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