2010 Philippine Bar exam bombing

rdf:langString 2010 Philippine Bar exam bombing

rdf:langString left

rdf:langString right

rdf:langString Three police officers standing in a cordoned-off area, one carrying a flashlight. Wreckage from the bombing can be seen.

rdf:langString Police comb the debris for evidence

rdf:langString A map of downtown Manila

rdf:langString Locations of the explosion, DLSU, and the hospitals where the victims were brought

rdf:langString Many of those investigated are APO, including him [Nepomuceno]. We are disappointed that he is being accused but based on our interrogation and according to him, I think he is not at fault.

rdf:langString We, legitimate fraternities based in major universities and colleges as well as communities nationwide, joins the Filipino nation in condemning in the strongest possible terms the brutal act of indiscriminate violence, which occurred during street revelry along Taft Avenue marking the end of this year’s bar examinations at the De La Salle University. We denounce this gross display of brutality, which caused severe injury to innocent people and damage to property.

rdf:langString I'm not saying that Nepomuceno is guilty ... the suspect can be cleared upon investigation or probable cause may be found to charge him. So, therefore, I think it would be premature for anybody to say he is innocent.

rdf:langString Jejomar Binay, trans. from Malaya

rdf:langString Joint statement of six fraternities, Philippine Daily Inquirer

rdf:langString CDO Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Philippine Daily Inquirer

rdf:langString Tau Gamma Phi members

rdf:langString Three

rdf:langString The 2010 Philippine Bar exam bombing occurred on Taft Avenue near De La Salle University (DLSU), located in Malate, Manila, Philippines, on September 26, 2010, at 5:05 pm PST, a few minutes after Philippine Bar examinees began exiting DLSU. A Mk2 grenade was thrown at a group of Alpha Phi Beta members from San Beda College. They were standing near Tau Gamma Phi members, who police believed were the real target of the explosive. This resulted in injuries to 47 people, including two who required amputations. Jed Carlos Lazaga was initially accused of throwing the grenade, based on information received by the Manila Police District (MPD) from an unnamed witness. This theory was later dismissed when the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) took over the case. Anthony Leal Nepomuceno, NBI's prime suspect and an Alpha Phi Omega (APO) member, surrendered to Jejomar Binay, Vice President of the Philippines, on October 27. Fellow APO members, Binay, and former Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, asserted Nepomuceno's innocence. Binay's actions were criticized by several members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, who said Nepomuceno was cleared prematurely. The Office of the President stated that it had no intention to distance Binay from the matter, but clarified that Binay's statements would have no bearing in the investigation. In a 27-page DOJ resolution, prosecutors found Nepomuceno's defense "weak", and recommended his indictment. DOJ charged him with multiple murder charges (for almost killing the two amputees), multiple attempted murder charges, and illegal possession of explosives. The 2010 Bar exam was the last to be conducted in De La Salle University before the eventual return of the bar exams in the university in 2022. The 2011 exam was held at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in November. The Supreme Court denied that the bombing precipitated the move; the change had already been planned before the blast. It also said that "necessary security measures" will be in force in UST to prevent an event similar to the 2010 bombing.