Serendra blast not caused by a bomb, says Roxas

Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II. Jamie Elona/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – The explosion that rocked a unit in a posh condominium in Taguig City a week ago was not caused by a bomb, according to Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas.

Roxas told reporters on Friday that the blast that hit Unit 501B of Two Serendra Condominium inside the Bonifacio Global City on May 31 was triggered by “combustion or reaction of chemical substances.’’

“In view of all the foregoing, the explosion was consistent with gas explosion, most likely LPG [liquefied petroleum gas],” Roxas said in a press conference at the National Headquarters of the Philippine National Police.

Roxas ruled out urban terrorist attack in the incident which killed three people on board a passing delivery van and wounded five others, including the occupant of the unit.

The unit is owned by Marianne Cayton, but was being occupied by Angelito San Juan at the time of the incident. San Juan is a family friend of the Caytons, and both of them are US immigrants. San Juan was accompanied to the unit by Herminia Espana Ochoa, Cayton’s aunt.

Roxas said their conclusion was based on several procedures that were taken, including canine walkthrough and separate investigations by the Taguig police, National Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

He said nine sniffing dogs from the Southern Police District, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and the Philippine Army took turns to determine if there were traces of blast components.

Also, the SOCO (Scene of the Crime Operatives) took 61 swabs inside the condominium unit and 76 swabs from three concrete slabs but these all turned out negative for bomb residue.

He also said cited the findings of the BFP saying that there was charring and singeing, but neither bomb components nor a crater was found or detected.

The NBI, on the other hand, didn’t find power supply switch, containers and wire detonators at the site despite its thorough sifting through the rubble.

Investigators also interviewed 60 people and took 53 sworn statements from occupants/ tenants, security personnel, first responders, renovation workers, meter readers, and other witnesses.

Dr. Carlos Primo David from the Department of Science and Technology said the characteristics of a gas explosion includes the minimal post-explosion residue, the absence of blast cratering, an event of an instantaneously dissipated flame may last only nearly a fraction of a second, minimal charring, powerful and widespread pressure wave, and almost instantaneous explosion covering a large area.

“Therefore, in view of the foregoing, the explosion was not caused by a bomb, whether improvised or manufactured,” Roxas said, but added that investigations as to the timeline and sequence of events continue to run.

Roxas said the cause of ignition is yet to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, Roxas also said that the behavior of San Juan, Ochoa and Cayton were “normal’’.

San Juan, who was said to be on his way out of the unit to have dinner with Ochoa, was among those injured when the explosion took place.

Lawyer Raymund Fortun, San Juan’s representative, earlier said his client only flew to the country to attend a wedding ceremony.

Roxas said San Juan, whom he earlier tagged as a “person of interest”, remains at the Intensive Care Unit of St. Luke’s Hospital after 72 percent of his total body surface suffered second degree burns.

“He is conscious, but under sedation and intubated,” he said.

Originally posted: 12:08 pm | Friday, June 7th, 2013