8 injured as blasts hit Lipa, police outposts in QC, Manila

Twin explosions separately hit a police sub-station in Manila City and a mobile satellite police station in Quezon City, while eight people were injured in a third blast that ripped a public market in Lipa City in Batangas. All three bombings happened before dawn Sunday, eve of Independence Day celebrations on June 12, Monday. An inter-faith prayer rally against Charter change will also be staged in Manila in the afternoon. The shadowy group Taumbayan at Kawal claimed responsibility for the two blasts in Metro Manila. This is the same group that has owned up to explosions at the Grepalife building in Makati on June 1, and at the mansion of alleged gambling lord Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda in Lubao town, Pampanga, last Friday. Allt he eight injured persons came from the incident at the Lipa Public Market in Batangas that police investigation showed was sparked by a homemade grenade. The explosive used in this blast was placed inside a bayong (native woven bag used in wet markets) and went off at around 5 a.m. It was placed at the rear portion of a jeepney and destroyed a row of stalls selling chicken. Police recovered a grenade pin from the crime scene. Authorities identified four of the wounded as Dennis Carandang, 31; Vicente Manozca; Florendo Castillo, 60; and Orlando Magatola, 35. The eight injured persons were taken to three different hospitals, namely the Lipa Medics Hospital, Lipa City District Hospital and the San Antonio General Hospital The damaged jeepney is owned by a certain Darwin Villegas, according to a report from GMA 7's DZBB. Director Vidal Querol, chief of the National Capital Region Police (NCRPO), said he was jogging near Philcoa in Quezon City when he learned about the explosion in the vicinity. The blast struck an NCRPO bus that police use as a satellite station. The bus was stationed at a popular fastfood restaurant in front of the University of the Philippines (UP) Bliss housing units. Police officers on the scene said the explosive may have been thrown through the bus windows, since the explosion apparently happened inside the vehicle. No one was injured in the incident, even as police manning the bus said they noticed no one passing near it shortly before the blast. The bus was empty at that time. "We just got down at about 5:30 a.m. to have an early breakfast. We were about to have coffee when we heard the explosion," said an NCRPO officer assigned to the satellite station. The explosion at Lawton, meanwhile, shattered tiles outside of the police sub-station. Lawton is in the same area of Liwasang Bonifacio, the staging ground of the inter-faith rally against Charter change. No injuries were also reported. Querol ordered his intelligence operatives to investigate the possible links of the Metro Manila blasts to the two other explosions that the group Taumbayan at Kawal also owned up. "Parang nagpaparamdam sila," Querol said. Taumbayan at Kawal said they wanted to teach lessons to the Yuchengco family, owner of the Grepalife building, and Pineda for their alleged abuses against the Filipino people. The Yuchengcos own the failed pre-need firm Pacific Plans Inc. (PPI), while Pineda has been reported as funneling gambling money into the election bid of President Arroyo. Querol said the incidents last Sunday may have been sparked by protest marchers in Manila who got hammered by anti-riot police last Friday. Manila police blocked leftist groups and relatives of slain activists from proceeding to Mendiola in Manila, declared a "no-rally zone" by the government because of its proximity to Malacañang Palace. The confrontation turned bloody, with four marchers and three policemen injured in the aftermath. Protesters were calling for an end to the alleged string of killings against leftist leaders and improved implementation of agrarian reform policies. Querol said he has sent orders to all policemen in the metropolis to be on the lookout for similar attacks in the wake of the explosions. Director Gen. Arturo Lomibao, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), instructed the Southern Tagalog police to conduct a probe on the Lipa incident.-GMANews.TV