BY RAYMOND AFRICA
THE PNP yesterday said it was "90 to 95
percent sure" that the Glorietta 2 mall explosion last Friday
was caused by a reaction of gases from the mall’s basement.
Director Geary Barias, chief of the Metro
Manila police office, said post-blast investigators on Monday
night wrapped up gathering of physical evidence from the seat of
the explosion and "with due diligence" found no traces of bomb
components there.
"It is only a small percentage, about 5 to 10
percent, that the explosion was caused by a bomb although the
‘bomb theory’ has not been ruled out because of the traces of
RDX (research and development explosive)," Barias told a news
conference in Camp Crame.
He said investigators have to find components
of an improvised explosive device to support the bomb theory.
"It is difficult to sustain the bomb theory
at this time, except for the RDX thing," he added.
RDX is a component of the C4 explosive.
Barias said there were actually two
explosions. The first was a small one which triggered a much
bigger explosion from a 4x8x24-foot diesel tank in the basement.
The blast could have been triggered by sparks
from switches, batteries, automatic switches, or the turning on
of a fluorescent light bulb.
Barias said the diesel tank was rectangular,
which according to petrochemical experts was not the standard
shape.
"The standard tank must be cylindrical so
when pressure builds up, it can be evenly distributed in the
tank," Barias said.
He said based on the statement of a
maintenance crew, the basement which houses the diesel tank had
no ventilation system "that will give air supply and the same
way facilitate air circulation on that particular side of the
basement which houses the fuel tank."
Barias said they will also look into possible
negligence on the part of the owner/maintainer of the basement
where the diesel tank was located.
"Sa history kasi ng building (Glorietta 2)
the lot is not part of the Ayala property. So we will determine
who is responsible and kung sino ang may-ari ng diesel tank,"
Barias said.
‘BOMB THEORY’
Chief Supt. Luizo Ticman, chief of the
Southern Police District and head of a multi-agency task force,
said the "bomb theory" is losing ground due to observations from
investigators.
Among the observations were:
• No crater was found on the floor of the
basement where the diesel tank was located.
• No crater has been found elsewhere within
the mall. The first reported "crater" after the blast was
actually a passageway going to the basement.
• There was no tearing effect on the damaged
structures.
• There was no soot or blackening on the
concave ceiling.
• No improvised explosive device component
was found on the scene.
• Evidence tested negative for explosive
ingredients.
Ticman quoted experts as saying RDX can be
found in many items, like underarm deodorants.
IGNITERS PRESENT
The "gas explosion theory" became more
plausible because of the presence of upward ruptures and damage
on the diesel tank, a concavity on the concrete slab directly
above the diesel tank, a septic tank which produces methane gas
at the basement, and possible igniters such as switches, motor
pumps and batteries.
The gas theory was also boosted by the
discovery that the ventilation system in the basement was not
functioning, resulting in a rise in temperature and the
accumulation of diesel fumes.
Senior Supt. Fennimore Jaucian, arson
investigator and head of the DILG Inter-Agency Task Force, said
the first explosion came from the diesel tank brought about by
the accumulation of diesel fumes.
TWO EXPLOSIONS
Jaucian said the first explosion inside the
diesel tank triggered the much bigger explosion in the methane
gas-filled basement.
He said they will have to check with the
Makati City Bureau of Fire Protection if Glorietta 2 had a
permit to place a diesel tank in the mall.
He said structural defects contributed to the
explosion.
"If you place pipes and septic tanks there
(basement) na kung saan meron ding diesel tank, it is a
dangerous room and it must be regularly checked for methane gas
fumes, which are lighter than air," Jaucian said.
He said Glorietta maintenance people said the
diesel tank was about half full with 1,750 liters. The diesel
tank has a capacity of 3,500 liters and supplies fuel to
generator sets.
ACCIDENTAL BLAST
In a meeting of the National Security Council
in Malacañang, investigators said there is a "high certainty"
that the Glorietta incident was an accidental gas explosion but
police are still looking into the possibility it was a bomb
attack.
This was based on negative results for traces
of nitrate, lack of bomb components at the blast site, the
absence of a bomb crater and "no tearing effect that is
indicative of an explosion," said PNP chief Avelino Razon, in an
interview after the NSC meeting.
"But we are not totally discarding the bomb
blast. The investigation continues to proceed," Razon said.
He said they are also waiting for a forensic
report from the Australian and American experts, which will be
compared with the findings of local experts.
THOROUGH PROBE
He acknowledged the public’s impatience but
said they are not rushing because they want the investigation to
be thorough.
He said President Arroyo was satisfied with
the progress in the investigation.
Razon and AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon
Jr. said until the findings are final, the red alert in Metro
Manila would stay.
Esperon said RDX is available commercially
while the military’s C4 and TNT explosives are all accounted
for.
Esperon said what he is not sure about is if
all the explosives brought by the Magdalo soldiers to the
Oakwood hotel during the mutiny in July 2003 had all been turned
over to the military.
He said the mutineers turned over to the AFP
32 slabs of one and one-fourth pounds of C-4, 42 slabs of
one-fourth pound of TNT, 17 slabs of one-half pound TNT and 21
slabs of one-pound TNT.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said an
interagency task force composed of the police and the anti-arson
task force of the BFP was also formed to conduct a more thorough
inspection of malls and similar structures.
ANTI-TERROR DRIVE
Arroyo, during the NSC meeting, said while
investigations on the blast are ongoing, there is a need to
review and strengthen the campaign against terrorism.
She said this includes empowering the police
and military, pursuing peace and negotiations with rebels, unity
and cooperation among the public, police, military and
government, and strengthening the Philippines’ partnership with
allied countries.
She also ordered Cabinet members to regularly report to the
public what the administration is doing to uphold security and
human rights, defeat poverty and move the economy. –With
Jocelyn Montemayor
