Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 8) — Sen. Panfilo Lacson was obviously dismayed over the weekend’s twin blasts in Quiapo, Manila that killed two persons and injured six others.
Not so much because an explosion happened on Saturday, but more so because it happened twice — with the second one taking place less than three hours after the initial blast and while police probers had swarmed all over the crime scene looking for clues.
“Dapat i-review nila yung kanilang intelligence efforts dun sa area. Kasi naulit ito after nung first explosion… So pag na-tatlo-han pa sila, that says a lot,” Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief himself, said on Monday.
[Translation: They should review the intelligence efforts in the area. Because (the blast) happened again after the first one. If it happened three times, that says a lot.]
PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa had admitted earlier in the day that there was a failure of intelligence on the part of the police.
But Lacson questioned this.
“Bakit nagkakaroon ng failure of intelligence. Eh ang total intel funds ₱5 billion mahigit. So hindi pa ba sapat yun para magampanan, ma-prevent o ma-thwart yung mga ganyang klase,” Lacson said.
[Translation: Why was there a failure of intelligence when the total intel funds run over P5 billion. Isn’t that enough to do the job, to prevent or thwart things like this.]
Dela Rosa had said the PNP was “very sorry” for what had happened but had also explained that it would be hard to keep track of threats if they were personally motivated, meaning not terror related.
Meanwhile, Lacson, who also chairs the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, added he would like to find out how the police intelligence funds were being spent.
He said he supported Sen. Gringo Honasan’s resolution to create an oversight committee to review the funds of the intelligence community. Honasan chairs the Senate Defense committee.
CNN Philippines’ Cecille Lardizabal contributed to this report.
