Dela Rosa says terrorist group responsible for Davao bombing

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 3): Dela Rosa says terrorist group responsible for Davao bombing

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Saturday night said that the terrorist group was responsible for the bombing at the night market in Davao City Friday night that left 14 people dead and 71 others injured.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier said that the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has claimed responsibility for the Davao bombing.

Dela Rosa said that the Davao bombing could have been a “diversionary tactic” of the ASG so that the government forces would be on the “defensive” mode, rather than “offensive” to ease up the all-out war against the ASG, especially in Sulu province.

As of Saturday, the all-out war against the ASG has claimed the lives of 15 government troops and 30 ASG bandits in Sulu.

However, Dela Rosa said that “this is the not right time for us to fingerpointing kung kaninong failure yun. It’s not the right time for us to point fingers.”

The PNP Chief said that even the best intelligence group in the whole world such as the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) of America (United States) was also waylaid by the terrorists once.

It can be recalled that the terrorist group Al-Qaida staged bombing attacks in the United States on Sept. 11, 2011 that left more than 3,000 civilians dead and scores of others injured.

Hence, Dela Rosa said, there is also a big chance that the intelligence group of the PNP and the AFP will be waylaid by the terrorists.

He added that although the authorities are now strictly monitoring all the possible entry and exit points in Davao City, it still cannot guarantee that no bad elements will find their way in Davao because of the vast coastal areas of Davao.

The PNP Chief pointed out that the terrorists will do everything in order to sow violence.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=919927