AFP chief to shed light on alleged Glorietta blast cover-up

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Ricardo David on Wednesday said he will appear before the Department of Justice to shed light on his alleged participation in the cover-up of the investigation of the explosion at the Glorietta mall in Makati City in 2007. "I want to be invited because my name is being mentioned...I want to shed light on whatever question that may be asked of me by the DOJ," David said at a press conference after the 3rd foundation anniversary of the AFP’s National Development Support Command. "Why should I cover it up? That is the main question. What would it mean to me if that’s a bomb? Many bombs have exploded (before). Why should I cover it up?" he added. Retired Army Col. Allan Sollano, a bomb demolitionist who responded to the explosion, claimed the blast was caused by a bomb and not by methane gas as police investigators earlier ruled. Eleven people were killed while scores were injured in the October 19, 2007 explosion. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Australian police assisted the police in the conduct of the probe. According to Sollano, he informed David, who was then his commanding officer, about his assessment, but David reportedly ignored his observations. Sollano claimed that the police and the military ruled out the bombing angle on alleged orders of Malacañang to gloss over a destabilization plot against the administration of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. David, then the commander of the Army Support Command, admitted that Sollano reported to him about the supposed bomb traces. “I told him to report that to the [Philippine National Police], whatever is his knowledge," he said. David said Sollano promptly reported his observations to the police, and that his claim was taken into consideration by the investigators. However, he said the PNP, the FBI and the Australian police were "in chorus" in their findings that the blast was caused by methane gas. The DOJ, however, has ordered a reinvestigation on the bombing following Sollano's statements. On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said David may be invited to appear before the probe being conducted by a special investigation to "to clarify very factual points." –VVP/KBK, GMANews.TV