Armed and dangerous in Palawan, Las Pinas

While politics is seen as a factor in the recent blasts in Palawan province’s two tourist spots, the role of the military is also being looked at. The attacks that hurt at least 4 in laid-back and tourist-friendly Puerto Princesa and El Nido towns on April 5 may be rooted on political wranglings involving the camp of rival Joel Reyes, who is now in hiding, and the ones in power, the Hagedorns. But the blasting instruments also showed military skills in assembling it, Edward Hagedorn said on Sunday, when a suspect, who used to be an employee of the Reyeses, was nabbed while with a group attending a meeting with Hagedorn. Meantime, armed men also figured in a shooting incident in Las Pinas on Saturday midnight, killing 3 bodyguards of Albert “Bobby” Aguirre, the man behind the controversial and financially bleeding Banco Filipino thrift bank. Two of the casualties are police officers moonlighting as private security aides. Are the ‘armed forces’ going beyond duty?

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