Twin blasts are an attempt to divert attention away from ex governor case, bishop says
Manila (AsiaNews) - "The twin blasts on Holly Thursday in San José and El Nido (Puerto Princesa - Palawan) were politically motivated. The local church was not damaged and Holy Week celebrations were not affected," said Mgr Pedro Arigo, bishop of Puerto Princesa. The two explosions occurred not far from the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, on Palawan Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, wounding four people. "Despite the fear, hundreds of people participated in the Via Crucis on Hood Friday and Easter Mass on Sunday in the Cathedral."
For Bishop Arigo, those who planted the bombs want to create a climate of terror in the population and harm the tourist industry. Their goal is to divert attention away from the search for Mario Joel Reyes, a former governor of the province, wanted with his brother in connection with the murder of Gerry Ortega, a Catholic journalist killed under mysterious circumstances on 24 January 2011.
An advocate for the rights of tribal peoples, Ortega had hosted a radio show for years in which he regularly denounced mining practices on the Island and violence against tribal people. Missionaries, leaders of Christian communities, NGOs and environmentalists were regular guests.
Police recently arrested the people who carried out the assassination as well as some of those who instigated the crime. The latter fingered former Provincial Governor Mario Joel Reyes as the principal in the case. The latter is still on the run.
Last Sunday, police arrested Jheramae Harim Hassan, a local Muslim leader, in connection with the two blasts.
This has not caused any waves among locals, the bishop said. Everyone is convinced that the bombings and the Ortega trial are connected, the prelate explained.
"People know very well that local politicians are behind the attacks," said Mgr Arigo who remembers the slain journalist as a friend who fought against corruption and the exploitation of the island's resources.
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