RP rebels deny role in weekend bombings

RP rebels deny role in weekend bombings

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (Agencies): A spokesman for Muslim rebels denied on Tuesday that his group carried out five deadly synchronized bombings that killed 15, injured 100 and set the nation on edge.

"If we were responsible, we would have admitted it," said Abu Cantada, a spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf guerrilla group fighting for a homeland in the southern Philippines. "We wouldn't hide."

The bombings hit a gas station, a train, a bus, the international airport and a park in Manila, gripping the nation amid a leadership crisis.

In an interview with Radio Mindanao Network in the southern city of Zamboanga Tuesday, Cantada said his group is being used as a "scapegoat" to hide the true bombers.

The group has previously claimed responsibility for bombings on the southern island of Mindanao.

Police earlier hinted that the Abu Sayyaf group may have been behind the bombings but later refused to say if they have any suspects.

No one has made a credible claim of responsibility for the bombings and police have reported few clues in their investigation.

Abu Sayyaf is the smaller but more radical of two Muslim separatist guerrilla groups in the south. The larger group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, has been blamed for bombings in Manila in the past. It also denied involvement in Saturday's attacks.

A lack of clear suspects and government warnings of more attacks have unleashed a cross fire of accusations targeting the government, political opposition, the army, right wing factions and Muslim and communist guerrillas, among others.

The explosions came at a key moment of instability for the government and plunged the capital into confusion ahead of New Year's celebrations.

Separately, Philippine military chief Angelo Reyes on Tuesday described as "very disturbing" allegations by a public anti-crime group that a military official was behind the lethal bombings in Manila.

The Manila-based 'Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption', said earlier this week that an informant in the southern island of Mindanao was willing to testify that a military official had planned the bomb attacks.

Reyes said the claims of the so-called informant were "a very disturbing allegation" and challenged the group to come out with all the details at once instead of releasing information on a piecemeal basis.

"They should stop the slow-motion, suspended animation type of revelations. If they have something to say and have information, they should reveal them immediately," Reyes said.

He added that the military was following up its own leads on the bombings but would not give any details.

A high-ranking source within the military said their information indicated that a joint band of communist insurgents and MILF guerrillas were behind the blasts but that the bombers had already fled the city.

Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado warned on Tuesday against excessive speculation on the perpetrators.

"Let's not make a theory, then look for evidence to support the theory. Let us just wait for results of the investigation and deduce our conclusions from it," he said.

Opposition groups have linked the blasts to the continuing corruption trial of President Joseph Estrada in the Senate, saying that the explosions may have been intended to divert attention from the hearing.

The government in turn has said the bombings may have been carried out to put pressure on Estrada to resign, or could be part of a campaign by communist insurgents or Muslim separatists.

Presidential spokesman Mike Toledo said that they would welcome any leads in the investigation but added: "let us just hope all leads ... are really credible or are (from) really legitimate witnesses."

"There have been a lot of pranksters who instead ... only confuse things," he said.

The head of Manila police, Director General Edgardo Aglipay said "I am very willing to personally go to Mindanao to get (the informant's) statements and compare if we have the same information."

Aglipay said he would bring other investigators with him and try to compare the informant's version with the physical evidence left behind to see if it was accurate.