The 2010 Philippine Bar exam bombing occurred on
Taft Avenue
Taft Avenue ( fil, Abenida Taft; es, Avenida Taft) is a major road in the south of Metro Manila. It passes through three cities in the metropolis: Manila, Pasay and Parañaque. The road was named after the former Governor-General of the Philippin ...
near
De La Salle University (DLSU), located in
Malate
Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms (L ...
,
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, 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
es, Universidad de San Beda
, image = San Beda University seal.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = University Seal
, latin_name = Universitas Sancti Bedæ
, former_names ...
. They were standing near
Tau Gamma Phi
Tau Gamma Phi (), also known as 'Triskelions’ Grand Fraternity', is a fraternity established in the Philippines. Its members call themselves Triskelion.
Its aims are to see a Fraternity System devoid of violence in lieu of the rampant violen ...
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
The Manila Police District (MPD) is the agency of the Philippine National Police (PNP) responsible for law enforcement in the City of Manila. Formerly known as the Western Police District (WPD), the MPD is under the National Capital Region Police ...
(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
Vice President of the Philippines
The vice president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangalawang Pangulo ng Pilipinas, also referred to as ''Bise Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the second-highest official in the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the first in the p ...
Jejomar Binay
Jejomar "Jojo" Cabauatan Binay Sr. (born Jesus Jose Cabauatan Binay; November 11, 1942) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 13th vice president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016, under President Benigno Aquino III.
A h ...
on October 27. Binay and former
Department of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
(DOJ) Secretary
Silvestre Bello III
Silvestre Hernando Bello III (born June 23, 1944) is a Filipino businessman and lawyer from Isabela, who served as the Secretary of the Philippines' Department of Labor and Employment, and concurrently Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process ...
, both of whom are APO members, joined fellow APO members in asserting Nepomuceno's innocence. Binay's actions were criticized by several members of the
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house of Congress, the ...
, 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
An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of a ...
. 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
The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...
(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.
Background
De La Salle University is a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
La Sallian university located on a campus
in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It faces Taft Avenue, a major thoroughfare named after
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
. DLSU had a population of 888
faculty and 15,779
students in 2009.
The Philippine Bar exams have been held at DLSU since 2002.
An average of over 5,000 examinees used its buildings for the test.
For the 2010 exam, 5,012 examinees took the test in 121 rooms inside six DLSU buildings. The number of examinees was lower than the 6,080 who took the test in 2009.
Incident and response
The bar exam ended at 5 pm
PST. As with tradition, examinees were to be greeted by loud noises as they exit DLSU.
By 5:05 pm, a loud explosion occurred in the area where supporters for the San Beda College examinees were standing. Tremors were felt as far as inside the elevated platform of the
Vito Cruz LRT Station
Vito Cruz station is an elevated Manila Light Rail Transit (LRT) station situated on Line 1. The station serves Malate in Manila and is the first station from Baclaran and the last station from Roosevelt to lie within Manila city bounds. The sta ...
near DLSU. People in the area thought that the noise was from fireworks that are a normal part of the post-bar celebrations. A commotion followed as people panicked and ran for safety. A bottle-throwing incident also occurred, according to a police spokesman.
The window of a street-side shop was shattered. Glass bottles, broken and intact, were scattered around the area as police evacuated people from the scene. The explosion occurred shortly after a fraternity fight near DLSU.
On the day of the explosion, 34 injuries were reported. This figure rose to 47 two days later.
Most of the victims were female and members of
Alpha Phi Beta
The Alpha Phi Beta Fraternity (also known as ΑΦΒ, Association of Philippine Barristers, or Abogado Para sa Bayan) is a fraternity based in the University of the Philippines College of Law with no recognized chapters outside University of the Ph ...
, a fraternity from San Beda.
Victims who were identified were from 23 to 28 years old.
Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center
The Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (Hospital of Manila; abbreviation: OMMC) is a 300-bed non-profit tertiary, general and training hospital in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It is the laboratory hospital of health science students (students of m ...
received 17 of the injured; nine were taken to the
Philippine General Hospital
The Philippine General Hospital (also known as University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital or UP–Philippine General Hospital), simply referred to as UP–PGH or PGH, is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated ...
, five to
Medical Center Manila, three to the
Manila Doctors Hospital
Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH), simply referred to as MaDocs, is a tertiary hospital located in Ermita, Manila, Philippines with over 500 beds. It was founded in the City of Manila in 1956 by the group of doctors. The hospital is currently owned ...
, and one to the
Manila Adventist Medical Center.
The
Manila Police District
The Manila Police District (MPD) is the agency of the Philippine National Police (PNP) responsible for law enforcement in the City of Manila. Formerly known as the Western Police District (WPD), the MPD is under the National Capital Region Police ...
bomb squad
Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milit ...
rushed to the site of the blast and cordoned off the area to search the debris for parts of the explosive.
Two persons (Raissa Laurel and Joanna Ledda;
both women) underwent leg amputations because of their injuries.
Reaction
The bombing was condemned by the
Supreme Court of the Philippines, who called it "an unfortunate incident."
The incident was likewise condemned by
San Beda Rector Aloysius Maranan,
Akbayan Youth
Akbayan! Youth (A!Y) is the youth wing of the Akbayan Citizens' Action Party, a democratic socialist and progressive political party in the Philippines.
As a collective of youth activists and different youth organizations, A!Y has been in exist ...
Chairperson Marlon Cornelio, and
Negros fraternities.
Several members of six fraternities gathered at
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...
on October 1 to participate in a
candlelighting event and express their sympathies.
Renato Corona
Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona (October 15, 1948 – April 29, 2016) was a Filipino judge who was the 23rd chief justice of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012. He served as an associate justice after being appointed by President Gloria ...
,
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said in a statement that he had already ordered the Supreme Court security, the MPD, and the
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the matter and "to identify the perpetrators of this senseless act of cowardice, and bring them to the bar of justice." He also ordered a review of the security protocol. Task Force Bar Operations 2010 was created to specifically investigate the incident.
After visiting a number of victims two days after the incident,
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...
called the attack a "heinous crime", as many of the victims were "preparing for their future as productive citizens of our country." He called for the investigators to make the case their top priority and for the perpetrator to surrender.
On October 3, the Fraternal Order of Utopia from
Ateneo de Manila University
, mottoeng = Light in the Lord
, type = Private, research, non-profit, coeducational basic and higher education institution
, established = December 10, 1859
, religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic ( Jesuits)
, academic ...
offered a ₱200,000 (US$4,620)
-reward to anyone who could present information identifying the perpetrator.
Several anonymous donors offered an additional reward of ₱1 million (US$23,100) the next day.
[Approximate conversion value as of June 2011] Meanwhile, the Supreme Court created an eight-person investigation committee tasked with making a report by October 15.
Investigation
Initial police reports considered
improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mecha ...
s, fireworks,
Molotov cocktail
A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see other names'') is a hand thrown incendiary weapon constructed from a frangible container filled with flammable substances equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with fla ...
s, and
fragmentation grenades
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade gen ...
to be possible causes of the explosion.
Reports point to a possible cause of the incident to be a conflict between
Alpha Phi Omega and
Tau Gamma Phi
Tau Gamma Phi (), also known as 'Triskelions’ Grand Fraternity', is a fraternity established in the Philippines. Its members call themselves Triskelion.
Its aims are to see a Fraternity System devoid of violence in lieu of the rampant violen ...
. Armando Macaraeg, chief of the MPD Homicide Division, said that the real targets of the explosion were members of Tau Gamma Phi, and the perpetrator misfired, causing the explosive to hit Alpha Phi Beta members, who were standing nearby.
Lazaga accused
MPD received from an unnamed witness, who was slightly injured by the blast, reports of a man in a black jacket and white shirt bearing the emblem of
Alpha Kappa Rho. This man allegedly threw the explosive from the other side of Taft Avenue, aiming for Tau Gamma Phi members; the throw fell short, hitting the San Beda students instead.
People went after the alleged bomber and cornered him. Identification found on the man indicated he was Jed Carlo Lazaga of
University of San Jose–Recoletos
The University of San Jose–Recoletos, also referred to by its acronym USJ–R or to its colloquially shortened name San Jose, is a private Catholic research and coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Augustini ...
in
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...
. The witness said that they were not able to surrender the man to the police, because Lazaga's companions carried guns and threatened to shoot people. Lazaga reportedly filed a mauling complaint.
On September 28, the NBI had three unnamed suspect, and had identified the explosive as a
Mk2 grenade. On the same day, NBI questioned Alpha Kappa Rho officials,
and expressed interest in summoning other fraternities that were present during the incident.
Alpha Kappa Rho President Jojo del Rosario acknowledged Lazaga's membership in the fraternity, and revealed that Lazaga is a fourth-year law student. He denied Lazaga's involvement in the blast, saying "why would he even complain to the police if he is guilty? He even lost his wallet, was mauled even" (trans). Del Rosario and his group presented pictures of Lazaga with at least 20 law students and professors of the university before the explosion. Lazaga was shown to be wearing a white shirt with a graphic design, contrary to the witness's claim.
This theory was no longer pursued when the NBI took over the MPD investigation.
Identification and surrender to Binay
On October 19, the NBI released an artist's sketch of the suspect and several other details. The suspect was said to be a 20- to 25-year-old male of medium build to in height and weighing .
The suspect was given one week to surrender.
Anthony Leal Nepomuceno, NBI's prime suspect, surrendered to
Jejomar Binay
Jejomar "Jojo" Cabauatan Binay Sr. (born Jesus Jose Cabauatan Binay; November 11, 1942) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 13th vice president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016, under President Benigno Aquino III.
A h ...
,
Vice President of the Philippines
The vice president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangalawang Pangulo ng Pilipinas, also referred to as ''Bise Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the second-highest official in the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the first in the p ...
and an APO member, on October 27.
At the time, Nepomuceno was a 26-year-old
call center agent who graduated with a degree in
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of Data (computing), data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information te ...
from
Manuel L. Quezon University
The Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU) is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational basic and higher education institution in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. It is named after the second president of the Philippine Manuel L. Quezon.
History
...
; he was also a member of APO. Nepomuceno denied all accusations.
APO defended his innocence, and formed a legal team in response to the NBI complaints.
He said that he was inside a mall in
Marikina
Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina ( fil, Lungsod ng Marikina), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,159 people.
It is loca ...
at 5 pm buying shoes—at the same time as the bombing—and withdrew money from a bank at 7:30 pm.
Binay insisted that Nepomuceno was innocent. This position was acknowledged by former
Department of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
(DOJ) Secretary
Silvestre Bello III
Silvestre Hernando Bello III (born June 23, 1944) is a Filipino businessman and lawyer from Isabela, who served as the Secretary of the Philippines' Department of Labor and Employment, and concurrently Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process ...
, who earlier pledged to help prosecute him if the evidence was strong.
Upon the request of DOJ Secretary
Leila de Lima, Binay presented Nepomuceno to the NBI on October 28.
Binay's actions were criticized by several members of the
House of Representatives of the Philippines
The House of Representatives of the Philippines ( fil, Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan ng Pilipinas, italic=unset, ''Kamara'' or ''Kamara de Representantes'' from the Spanish word ''cámara'', meaning "chamber") is the lower house of Congress, the ...
, saying that Binay should have allowed the DOJ and the NBI to finish the investigation before clearing Nepomuceno.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the Office of the President had no intention of distancing Binay from the matter, but clarified that Binay's statements would have no bearing on the investigation.
NBI actions
De Lima said that Nepomuceno matches the artist's sketch and the description given earlier, and the evidence against him is strong, as the NBI has at least 17 witnesses.
She revealed that an NBI team had earlier gone to Nepomuceno's mother in
Marinduque; his mother initially agreed to convince her son to surrender, but later refused to tell his whereabouts.
De Lima clarified that Nepomuceno was merely "invited for questioning and not under arrest" since no charges had been filed yet.
On October 28, the NBI filed to the DOJ numerous complaints of frustrated and
attempted murder against Nepomuceno based on the testimonies that Nepomuceno threw the grenade. Police studied the possibility that the incident was linked to a fraternity rumble in December 2009, when Cromwell Dukha Jr. from APO was fatally stabbed, allegedly by Efraim Lim, a member of Tau Gamma Phi. Both were from
San Sebastian College. Filing the complaint paved way for the start of the preliminary investigation by the DOJ. More suspects were being considered by the NBI as of the time of filing the complaints.
On November 10, the DOJ identified two more APO members as suspects. Their names were not revealed. NBI believes that the two are responsible for Nepomuceno's escape during the incident. De Lima said that ongoing investigations on grenade-throwing incidents at
La Consolacion College in 2008 and
University of Perpetual Help System DALTA also suggest APO involvement. The two bombings left 22 and 14 wounded, respectively.
She noted an "apparent lack of interest" on the part of the APO leadership to cooperate in the investigation.
On the same day, APO responded:
Indictment
In a 27-page resolution signed by Prosecutor Gerardo Gaerlan and Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon, DOJ found Nepomuceno's defense to be "weak" and recommended for his
indictment
An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concept often use that of a ...
on April 28, 2011. He was not able to prove that it was physically impossible for him to be present at the time of the bombing, and witnesses were positive that he is the person who threw the grenade. The DOJ said that Nepomuceno's submission of a photocopy of a receipt from a
Metrobank ATM in Marikina does not prove his claim that he was not at Taft during the bombing, since the time on the receipt was more than two hours after the bombing.
The resolution stated:
Nepomuceno submitted testimonies to support his claim, but these were dismissed by Gaerlan. He noted that these were mostly from family, friends, and fellow fraternity members. Nepomuceno accused the DOJ investigation of being "irregular and selective" for disregarding other suspects, and labeled one witnesses' statement as "ill-motivated", since the witness was from a rival fraternity. Gaerlan defended the claims as being "evidentiary in nature."
He faces charges of multiple murder (for almost killing the two amputees), multiple attempted murder,
and illegal possession of explosives.
Aftermath
Raissa Laurel, a 23-year-old law student from San Sebastian College who lost both her legs due to the event, was given an award for her "courage and strength" by ''People Asia'' on its 11th anniversary on January 10. The award was presented by President Benigno Aquino III.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Renato Corona of the Supreme Court pledged to personally administer Laurel's oath if she passes the bar. He promised that the Supreme Court would hire her when she recovers.
Nippon Foundation
of Tokyo, Japan, is a private, non-profit grant-making organization. It was established in 1962 by Ryoichi Sasakawa. The foundation's mission is to direct Japanese motorboat racing revenue into philanthropic activities, it uses this money ...
promised to give her
prosthetic legs
In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...
on her birthday on April 23, 2011.
She was released from the
Philippine General Hospital
The Philippine General Hospital (also known as University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital or UP–Philippine General Hospital), simply referred to as UP–PGH or PGH, is a tertiary state-owned hospital administered and operated ...
on November 7, 2010.
Laurel ran for
city councilor
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural council ...
of
San Juan in the
2016 local elections, eventually winning a seat after placing third in her district. She was successfully re-elected in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
and
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
.
The 2010 Bar exam was the last to be conducted at De La Salle University before the return of bar exams in the university in 2022.
The 2011 exam was held in the
University of Santo Tomas
The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...
in November; DLSU ended its contract with the Supreme Court due to construction plans on the campus. Supreme Court spokesman
Midas Marquez denied that the bombing was the reason behind the move; the move had been already planned before the blast. He also said that "necessary security measures" will be in force at UST to prevent an event similar to the 2010 bombing.
See also
*
2005 University of Oklahoma bombing
The 2005 University of Oklahoma bombing occurred on October 1, 2005 at approximately 7:30 p.m. Central Time Zone (North America), CDT, when a bomb went off near the George Lynn Cross, George Lynn Cross Hall on Van Vleet Oval on the University ...
*
2009 International Islamic University bombing
*
Sterling Hall bombing
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philippine Bar Exam Bombing
2010 crimes in the Philippines
School bombings
Improvised explosive device bombings in the Philippines
Crime in Metro Manila
21st century in Manila
September 2010 crimes
Terrorist incidents in the Philippines in 2010