MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) is now seriously looking into the possibility that the suspects in Tuesday's bus bombing in EDSA may have come from a terrorist or extortionist group in Central Mindanao.
National Capital Region Police Director Nicanor Bartolome said the 81-millimeter mortar that was used on the Newman Goldliner bus was similar to the bomb that was found in several bus bombing incidents in Central Mindanao late last year.
"Tinitingnan ngayon ang possibility na taga-Central Mindanao ang gumawa o di kaya ang istilo ay nagaya na," Bartolome said.
But Bartolome was quick to clarify that they haven't arrived at a final conclusion yet on who the perpetrators are.
The NCR police chief said it's too early to say on who's responsible since both physical and testimonial evidence from victims and witnesses are still being gathered.
The PNP Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) completed the reconstruction of the blasts on Wednesday night, with strings attached from the seat of the explosion to the trajectory of the shrapnel that exploded from the right side of the bus.
Southern Police District Director Chief Supt. Jose Arne Delos Santos said this process is used to determine how the bombed escalated from its point of origin towards its various targets, whether human or non-human.
The reconstruction, Bartolome said, also further confirmed their initial findings that the bomb used was an 80-millimeter mortar shell.
Bartolome also reiterated that the angle of terrorism behind the explosion has not been ruled out.
"The manner done, it was a very dastardly act, kasama pa rin yun [terrorism] sa mga tinitingan natin," he added.
But Bartolome was careful not to make a conclusive statement at this early phase of the investigation.
"Kailangan tayo mag-iingat at hind padalos-dalos, although alam natin na ang ating mga kababayan ay naghihintay din ng resulta."
Don't forward text messages
Meanwhile, Bartolome appealed to the public in the midst of speculations and text messages warning the public against a series of bombings in the National Capital Region.
"Gawin lang ang mga normal nating ginagawa everyday, do not succumb to the objective of these people to sow fear," he said.
Bartolome encouraged those who receive alarming text messages to simply report these to the police rather than sharing and forwarding the unconfirmed messages to their friends.
