Investigators hope to wrap up Glorietta blast case Thursday

Investigators expect to wrap up their probe into the Glorietta 2 mall blast not later than Thursday now that police have found indicators that the tragic incident in Makati City was due to gas explosion. "Hopefully, we are optimistic that in the earliest possible time, in the next 24 hours probably, we can already put an end to this investigation," National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Geary Barias said Tuesday in a radio interview. Barias said following the findings of the post-blast investigation, which point to gas explosion, investigators will just have to wait for the analysis of experts on other pieces of debris recovered from the origin of the explosion. At the same time, they will determine who could be held liable for negligence at the basement of Glorietta 2 where the explosion came from. "The subject now of the investigation is to establish who has responsibility over that place. Ayala Corporation says it's not theirs. That's what we see on TV and hear on radio being claimed by the spokesperson of Ayala," Barias said. Initial information received by police reveals that the basement is reportedly owned by Makati Supermarket, which came prior to the construction of Glorietta 2 in the early 1990s. "We still have to find out who has the culpability just in case this is an accident. We have to find out whether it is Ayala Land or any other entity that should be held responsible for this because the logical consequence of this is for the police to file criminal charges for multiple homicide and physical injuries," Barias said. - GMANews.TV