Nene wants Scotland Yard to probe Glorietta blast

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr on Sunday called for an independent investigation into the explosion at Glorietta 2 mall by enlisting the services of investigators of proven track record from other countries. Pimentel said the people demand nothing less than a credible investigation into the tragic incident to dispel speculations that the blast was premeditated to overshadow controversies hounding the Arroyo administration. “People are demanding a true, credible and full public report after a transparent probe by independent, expert investigators of the Makati blast that took away 11 innocent lives and injured scores of other persons," he said. He cited the United Kingdom’s Scotland Yard as a reputable crime investigating agency, which the Philippines can request to probe the Glorietta 2 mall explosion. “Whether the [blast] at the Glorietta mall was deliberately carried out or not, the consequence of it is not only the death of 11 of our countrymen, but also to camouflage or overshadow the scandals that have rocked the administration," Pimentel said. In fact, he said the "rigged" broadband-ZTE contract, the alleged Palace payoff to congressmen and governors and other "anomalies" in the Arroyo administration have been sidestepped and relegated to the background in the media because of the incident. Reacting to reports that the so-called Rajah Sulayman Movement has owned responsibility for the blast, Pimentel was skeptical that authorities seem to have a “predetermined efforts to blame Muslim extremists even before the investigation has not yet been completed." “It is to the advantage of the government and the private sector, especially the business community, to enlist the services of experts from other countries to investigate the [blast] even if they have to incur additional expenses, if we are to uncover the truth behind the incident," he said. Sen. Loren Legarda said Filipinos are made of sterner stuff to be cowed or terrorized into not going about their daily business. The senator called on the public to be more vigilant and for the authorities to ensure the people's security. She said that politics should now take the backseat and called on both the administration and the opposition "to form a united front against a common enemy who had shown no qualms in killing civilians." Legarda said police investigators should be allowed to do their job with the least interference, and that speculations about the incident would help little in the investigation. "They have their marching order to unmask and bring the bombers and the masterminds before the bar of justice. Likewise, the government cannot allow a repeat of this dastardly deed," she said. "This dastardly crime is crying out for justice, and failure to capture those behind it is not an option for the police," said Legarda, who grieved with the victims and their families.- GMANews.TV