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In the latest preliminary police report on the Glorietta 2 Mall explosion, the authorities have expressed serious doubts that the incident was a bombing attack as earlier reported. As there was no bomb crater nor fragments of improvised bomb explosive device found at the scene, the theory is that it might very well in fact be due to the “accidental mixing of diesel vapor and methane gas in the mall’s basement”. If this information is to be believed, then the criminal liability (for negligence) will now be shifted to both the mall owner and the city government. On the other hand, the Ayala Land spokesperson has vehemently defended against the initial police findings that the diesel fuel tanks and sewerage system of the mall was the cause of the explosion. As of writing, Makati Mayor Binay has reportedly ordered a separate and independent investigation to determine the real cause of the explosion.

While finger-pointing seems to be a trend nowadays, the inescapable truth remains that several innocent lives were taken and hundreds were injured and perhaps, will be scarred for life. And while the real cause of the blast remains a mystery, we will have to rely upon several photos that were taken at the scene immediately after the incident, to draw our sad conclusions. The snapshots shown below provide evidence of the extent of the damage to the building and the vehicles parked around the area, as well as some of the lifeless bodies buried under the rubbles of Glorietta 2. These photos do not lie, and say only one thing, and that is: a crime was committed, and someone has to pay for it.

[Click thumbnail to enlarge image. Warning: some photos can be very graphic]

Properties damaged

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It was a Friday sale at the Ortigas Center with both SM Megamall and Robinson’s Galleria simultaneously scheduling their 3-day sale starting last Friday, Oct. 19. While we were still in Galleria during our lunchbreak (I don’t remember having any food in front of me except the numerous shirts, shoes, bags . . .) , a bomb blasted in Glorietta 2 killing 9 people and wounding more than 70. We found out when we got back to the office. The first thing on my mind was that it could’ve been us.

An issue that raises the fragility of life often holds every human spellbound. We can’t seem to stop talking about it. We want to know exactly what happened — where the bomb was planted, who claims responsibility, who are the possible suspects. We want to know the details of the death — how many limbs were left or blown away, what was it that the dead left behind — grieving parents, wife, husband, or mistress. We get scared for a while. We stop going to similar places, we do not allow the kids to go out.

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