Malacañang on Tuesday condemned the blast at the De La Salle University last Sunday, but said it will let the Supreme Court find and punish the perpetrators.
The incident, which occurred on the last day of the Bar exams, injured over 40 people. Authorities are still verifying whether warring fraternities were behind the blast.
"We condemn the violence in DLSU," said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda in an interview with reporters.
"These are people who are going to take the Bar, who are going to be future lawyers. And this act of violence is unbecoming of someone who is going to belong in the profession, who is supposed to uphold the law," said Lacierda, himself a lawyer.
Noting that Chief Justice Renato Corona was also "aghast" at the incident, Lacierda said the Palace is leaving the incident investigation to the Supreme Court which, Lacierda said, has jurisdiction over issues relating to the Bar exams.
"I think if the law students were the perpetrators, I am sure the Supreme Court will do something about it," he said.
Supreme Court administrator Midas Marquez earlier said the high court will create an independent committee that will conduct a parallel investigation into the blast.
Police said that as of 8 a.m. Monday, 47 people were reported injured based on reports from hospitals where the injured were brought. These hospitals include the Ospital ng Maynila, Manila Doctors’ Hospital, Manila Sanitarium, and the Philippine General Hospital.
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.
The National Bureau of Investigation said a grenade, and not a pillbox as originally suspected, caused the explosion.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said 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."
"Individuals were injured, and one's legs have to be amputated. Imagine this tragedy, it has to be seriously investigated," De Lima said. — Jam Sisante/RSJ
