The Philippines has been shocked by the deadly bombing attack Friday on a highly popular shopping mall in a showcase financial hub in Metro Manila and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Saturday called for a wider security meeting in coming days to discuss security situation faced by the country.
The Malacanang presidential palace said President Arroyo has called for a full National Security Council (NSC) meeting early next week to discuss the bombing of Glorietta 2 mall in Makati, which was frequented by both home and foreign visitors seeking a sale price of many international brands sold there.
The number of dead from Friday's bombing has risen to 10 as rescuers and police found another body under the huge piles of debris at the site of the bombing in the spreading complex, said the Philippine National Red Cross.
Presidential Spokesman and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said next week's NSC meeting will include former president Fidel Ramos, Senate president Manuel Villar, House Speaker Jose de Venecia, and other key figures of the country.
He said Arroyo will discuss what comprehensive measures to adopt that will assure the safety of the people.
Arroyo Saturday again urged Filipinos to unite and continue to work hard amid threats of terrorism.
In a statement at a NSC conference at Camp Crame, headquarters of the Philippine National Police in Quezon City, Arroyo said the country is faced a clear and present threat of terrorism.
She said the public must now rally behind the government and shun from those who might take advantage of the situation and sow destabilization.
"Against them (terrorists), we need to be tough, with arms linked, we need to persevere and sacrifice, and not be influenced by the chaos, fear, and conflict," she said.
Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim asked Saturday mall owners to provide additional security personnel and step-up measures to ensure the safety of their customers.
Lim also tasked city officials to coordinate with the managers of mass transportation such as the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) city rails and ask them to employ more security men in the wake of the Glorietta Mall bombing.
Manila is only part of the wider capital region of Metro Manila, which includes Makati City where the bombing took place.
The Philippine National Red Cross is still looking for three other persons missing after the bombing.
Australian government has warned its citizens not to travel to the Philippines unless necessary, as the country could face more terror attacks.
In an advisory posted by the Australian embassy, Canberra said possibility that Friday's bombing was staged by terrorists could not be discounted, as reliable intelligence reports said terrorists plan to stage attacks in several Philippine cities.
Meanwhile, authorities have expressed doubt over the claiming of responsibility for the attack by a man who claimed to be the spokesman of the Rajah Sulayman Movement (RSM).
The man called local television network ABS-CBN Saturday evening saying he was RSM spokesman Ruben Omar Lavilla, alias Sheik Omar, and claiming responsible for Friday's blast. The man also demanded the release of RSM founder Hilarion del Rosario Santos who was arrested in 2005, said the ABS-CBN report.
But a senior intelligence official said the recorded voice of "Sheik Omar" did not match what authorities have on file.
RSM is reportedly an urban terror organization whose members are active in Metro Manila and northern Luzon with links to the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.
Friday's bombing attack was the deadliest since the bombing of a superferry at Manila Bay in February 2004, in which more than 100 were killed. Authorities said Abu Sayyaf terrorists staged the attack.
Source: Xinhua
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