Bus attack an attempt to derail peace process—Aquino

BUSAN, South Korea—The suspect in the Bukidnon bus bombing is connected with a secessionist group, so the incident could be compared to an attempt to thwart the peace process, according to President Benigno Aquino III.

President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

“There seems to be a very strong case against this person. So, is it a terrorist attack? One can liken it to the attempts to derail the peace process by inflicting more terror, violence on the community,” Mr. Aquino told reporters.

He said the suspect was previously jailed and escaped in 2006.

Mr. Aquino also noted that the bus bombings seemed to be taking place not at the terminals and could therefore be attributed to passengers embarking between terminals.

There are already efforts to improve security measures to minimize the threats posed by passengers embarking beyond the terminals, he said.

One is that bus drivers and conductors would be asked to profile passengers, he said. Only one door of the bus would also be put to use so that the flow of passengers could be easily monitored, he said.

Another plan is to issue stubs for every piece of baggage brought in by a passenger, he added.

“As early as now, I am appealing to all passengers that, to ensure their safety, you may have to endure a few hassles. It’s better to have these inconveniences for a bit instead of coming to harm,” he said.

The bombing of a Rural Transit bus last Tuesday killed 11 people and injured some 30 others.

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