Filtered By: Topstories
News

Aquino tells DLSU blast perpetrators to surrender


"The full resources of the state are being unleashed against you. Surrender." President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III on Wednesday issued this strong warning to the perpetrators of Sunday's Bar exams blast, which injured over 40 people and caused one law student's legs to be amputated. Aquino, who visited San Sebastian College law student Raissa Laurel and other victims of the explosion earlier in the day, said he has taken a "personal interest" in the case and has tasked National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Magtanggol Gatdula and Manila Police District head chief Superintendent Roberto Ronganvilla to make the case's resolution a "top priority." Laurel's legs had to be amputated because of the explosion, which authorities said was caused a by a grenade. Authorities are investigating whether a war between two fraternities was behind the blast. "To those of you who are guilty: The full resources of the state are being unleashed against you. Surrender," the president said in a statement. "Do not add to the troubles you are now facing. Otherwise, have no doubt that you will be caught. You will not escape the consequences of your actions."

The president said he considers the incident a heinous crime because many of the victims were women and students "preparing for their futures as productive citizens of our country." "Society bears an added responsibility for caring for women and the youth," he said. Aquino said he has tasked the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) to render all possible assistance to the victims. As he expressed his sympathies for the victims, the president said he is confident that "despite what happened to them, their futures will be bright." "I would like to commend them all for their courage in the face of a crime against them that they did not deserve," he said. Initial investigation showed many of the injured were caught in a stampede because of the explosion, which occurred across a fast-food outlet near the DLSU campus. Police said most of the casualties sustained foot injuries while others were trampled on during the stampede. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima previously said that initial reports from the NBI, an attached agency of the Justice department, showed that the violence stemmed from a conflict between fraternities whose members "got drunk, became unruly, and went overboard." The Supreme Court is also conducting a parallel investigation into the incident. — RSJ, GMANews.TV
LOADING CONTENT