DoJ Blast, Senate Bomb Scare Prompt Probe Ahead of SONA

AN EXPLOSION believed to have been caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) occurred outside the Department of Justice (DoJ) headquarters in Manila early on Monday, prompting authorities to investigate whether it was linked to a separate suspected explosive device discovered near the Senate hours before President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA). In a statement, the DoJ said the explosion occurred at about 12:17 a.m. near the entrance of its headquarters along Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila. No casualties were reported. “The situation is currently under control, and the DoJ compound remains secure,” the agency said, adding that measures had been put in place to protect personnel and the public while ensuring government services continued uninterrupted. The Philippine National Police’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (PNP-EOD) Unit conducted a technical examination of the blast site as investigators sought to determine the source and circumstances surrounding the explosion. The DoJ said law enforcement authorities were reviewing closed-circuit television footage and other evidence as part of a “comprehensive and impartial investigation.” The explosion came hours before Mr. Marcos was scheduled to address a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. PNP Chief General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. said investigators were examining whether the explosion outside the DoJ was connected to a suspected IED recovered near the Senate complex in Pasay City later that morning. “There’s a big possibility or probability those two are related,” he told reporters in mixed English and Filipino. He said the incidents were among the scenarios police had anticipated while preparing security measures for the President’s annual address, including possible bomb threats, explosions and shooting incidents. The PNP earlier said it had deployed more than 20,000 personnel for SONA security operations, including about 10,000 assigned to Quezon City. Separately, the Senate Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) said it had turned over the suspected IED recovered about 150 meters outside the Senate complex to the PNP’s Scene of the Crime Operatives for forensic examination. OSAA chief Alfred S. Corpuz said the object was discovered by towing truck personnel at about 8 a.m. “What they saw was a battery. It has a battery, it has a clock and a commercial blasting cap. It seemingly had a brown powder with it, so that is why it was initially suspected as an improvised explosive,” he told reporters. Mr. Corpuz said authorities had yet to receive the official laboratory report from Pasay police confirming whether the recovered material was indeed an IED. The Senate has since been placed under heightened alert following the discovery. “We will add more security personnel to the grounds. And of course, conduct stricter inspections of visitors in the Senate, not only inside but also outside,” Mr. Corpuz said. He said the heightened alert would remain until the investigation is completed, adding that Senate President Sherwin T. Gatchalian had ordered security officials to strengthen protective measures around the chamber. In a separate statement, Mr. Gatchalian condemned the incident and urged authorities to identify those responsible. “I am calling on the PNP and all concerned authorities to conduct a thorough, impartial investigation into this incident — to determine who is responsible and what they intended to achieve,” he said, adding that the OSAA had been instructed to coordinate closely with the PNP’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit. “We condemn in the strongest terms this apparent attempt to sow fear near the Senate on the very day our institutions gather for the State of the Nation Address,” he added, while urging the public to report suspicious activities to law enforcement authorities. The Southern Police District said its EOD personnel had safely recovered the suspected explosive device. Police also appealed to the public to report potential threats to the nearest police station or through the national emergency hotline. — Mark Joseph M. Sanchez and Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel