One month after Glorietta 2 blast, police has yet to wrap up its probe

By Ronron
November 18, 2007

The Multi-Agency Investigation Task Force (MAITF) of the government, led by the Philippine National Police (PNP), has yet to complete its investigation on the Glorietta 2 blast one month after the incident.

MAITF spokesman, Director Geary Barias, the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said Sunday that the task force is still in the process of making a final determination as to the type of gas and the source of spark that caused the explosion at the basement of Glorietta 2 last October 19.

“Hopefully, this week, we can give additional information or development on our investigation on the Glorietta 2 incident,” Barias said in Filipino in a radio interview.

“As of now, we are not yet finished… Our only problem now is the finalization of the report, the gases, the cause of the spark. Basically, the cause of the spark will determine the criminal liability I think. So it will depend there if there was really negligence or accident as others say,” he added.

Quoting the MAITF, Barias had earlier said that what happened in Glorietta 2 was a gas explosion, and not a bombing incident. This after investigators failed to find any bomb residue, and discovered instead that the basement houses a sump pit and diesel tank.

But Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI), which owns Glorietta 2, had refuted the MAITF initial findings, citing an analysis made by experts they hired.

The incident left 11 people killed and over a hundred others injured.

Asked if the probe will last until December, Barias said: “I don’t think so because we are rushing this already so we can also concentrate on other things, like the security preparations for the Christmas season.”

Told about the delay in the completion of the MAITF probe, ALI spokesman Alfonso Reyes told Manila Shimbun in a phone interview yesterday afternoon: “We understand that it’s been very difficult working on the condition in the basement due to the rubbles and safety considerations. But hopefully, a report will be issued as soon as possible and that they have explored all possibilities.”

Reyes maintained that gas explosion is an unlikely theory because as far as they are concerned, there was no methane and diesel fumes to talk about.

“They have to substantiate their findings. We hope they will clearly show their facts and science,” Reyes said, referring to the MAITF.

“We are prepared to discuss our own findings,” he added.

ALI had announced earlier that their experts found it impossible for biogas, particularly methane, to be generated at the basement because the sump pits are emptied two to three times a day, and there is an opening to the ground level that allows air circulation.

ALI claims that Makati Supermart has direct control over the basement although ALI supervises it.

Barias said he cannot say yet as to the possible criminal liabilities that could stem from the incident pending the wrapping up of the investigation. He said this aspect is being studied by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which is a member of the MAITF.

As to the business side, Reyes said they have already attended to the merchants at Glorietta 2 that were affected by the incident, especially since the entire mall was closed indefinitely for investigation purposes.

“We have been helping them by accommodating them at our temporary selling spaces at the aisles of other Glorietta malls (1, 3 and 4) and at Market Market because we understand that this is a critical period for them considering the Christmas season,” Reyes said.

When asked, however, as to an estimate of their losses since the incident, he said they have no determination of that yet.

But what he is glad to report is that visitors of their malls “is steadily recovering.”

“In fact, this weekend and last weekend, we were quite strong. I can say we are back to recovery,” Reyes said./DMS