Destruction, Distraction?

Today, Makati was rocked by what was at first thought to be a gas explosion (it is now being suspected as a high explosive bomb). The incident happened all the way over at Glorietta, quite a way off from our perch at the other end of Ayala. As you'd expect, first reactions to the news of an explosion ranged from morbid curiosity to attempts at humor (which were, admittedly, a good way of coping with fear). It was only some time later as we saw footage of the damage on TV or on the Internet that the gravity of the situation weighed in.

The stricken part of the mall was a place I was very familiar with- the restaurant, Luk Yuen, which was supposedly where the explosion originated, was a place I had eaten in countless times. It was horrible to see the place, or at least the wide area around it- in ruins. It was like footage you'd see on CNN of some bombed-out buildings in some war-torn demilitarized zone. I never thought this would happens in Glorietta, of all places. I GO there.

The atmosphere in Makati was mixed- places where I went to- a production house near Pasong Tamo- had people crowded around TVs, commenting or wondering about the cause of this latest act of terrorism. People wanted to go home to the presumed safety of their homes, to be with their families. I was one of them.

Was this a terrorist attack? Or could it, as many are now wondering, just our own government exercising a measure to draw away attention from the latest scandal in Malacanang? Let's just say I would not put it past our politicians.

My God. Enough is enough. This is madness.

As of right now, 8 are dead, 113 wounded and 5 missing in this terrible event.