MANILA – A lower court in Manila struck a blow in the war on terrorism when it sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday three militants held responsible for carrying out a series of bomb attacks in Metro Manila in December 2000, which resulted in the death of at least 12 people and injuries to more than 100 other victims.
The Regional Trial Court of Manila imposed the stiff sentences after it found guilty the accused, identified as Mukhlis Hadji Yunos alias Saifulla Yunos Muklis; Abdul Fatak Paute and Mamasao Naga.
The three were convicted of the charges of multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder for carrying out terror attacks within hours of each other in Manila and other parts of Metro Manila in what is known as the “Rizal Day” bombings.
It is so-called because the attacks happened on December 30, 2000, a national holiday to commemorate the execution of the country’s national hero Dr. Jose Rizal by the Spanish colonizers.
Aside from the life sentences, the court also ordered the terrorists to indemnify the families of the 12 fatalities the equivalent of about $2,200 each in moral and exemplary damages.
It also brushed aside the claim of the accused that they were somewhere else when the terror attacks were launched as it pointed out that the prosecution succeeded in establishing their guilt beyond reasonable doubt through a preponderance of evidence presented during the trial.
The court imposed the sentences on the three, who were all present during the promulgation, amid tight security imposed by members of the Manila Police District at the Manila City Hall.
Armed policemen in uniform and plainclothes were seen patrolling the aisles and corridors leading to the lower courts located at the fourth floor of city hall as early as 8 a.m. Friday.
The lawmen also set up desks where lawyers and their clients attending trials in the other courts as well as other individuals were frisked of possible hidden weapons.
Police said the tight security measures were implemented because the case involved the three “high profile” personalities who were linked to the Jakarta-based Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant group which, security officers confirmed, have ties with the global al-Qaeda terrorist network of Osama bin Laden.
Despite their conviction, the accused insisted on their innocence and said they have asked their lawyers to appeal their life sentences.
In convicting the three, the court said it would have imposed the maximum penalty of death, which, however, was abolished by Congress in 2003 on the strong recommendation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In filing the charges, the government said the three carried out the terror attacks on behalf of the JI, with Yunos as the main plotter.
In the charge sheet, the government described Yunos as an explosives expert and a leader of the Special Operations Group of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which has been holding the on-and-off talks with the government to restore peace in war-torn Mindanao.
Court records showed that about 12 people perished and more than 100 were injured when an improvised bomb exploded inside one of the coaches of the Light Rail Transport (LRT) system in one of the LRT stations in Manila on December 30, 2000.
The explosion at the LRT was one of the five bombings that occurred simultaneously on Rizal Day in Manila and neighboring cities in Metro Manila, investigators said.
The LRT bombing was preceded by an earlier explosion inside a park fronting the US Embassy located along Roxas Boulevard in Manila.
Investigators said the third bomb exploded in a gasoline station in suburban Makati City, killing a policeman while the fourth explosion occurred near the Manila Domestic Airport in Pasay City.
The fifth explosion took place inside a bus station in Cubao District in Quezon City, according to investigators.
Intelligence information disclosed that Yunos received financial assistance from the JI leaders to conduct the Rizal Day bombings.
The same information also revealed that Yunos and his cohorts assisted top ranking JI leaders, including the JI Singapore cell chief Abu Bakar Bafana in conducting surveillance of the US and Israeli embassies in Metro Manila.
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