Rep. Liza Maza | Leftist Solons Could Have Been Bombing Targets

Privilege Speech of Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Liza Largoza Maza
On the November 13 Congress Blast
November 14, 2007

Mr. Speaker, I rise on an matter of personal and collective privilege.

Ito po ay tungkol sa naganap na bomb explosion dito mismo sa loob ng
House of Representatives at kumitil sa buhay ni Rep.Wahab Akbar, sa
driver ng kawpa ko kinatawan sa Gabriela, Rep. Luz Ilagan at sa staff
ni Rep. Henry Teves at nagiwan ng maraming sugatan kasama dito sa
Rep. Luz Ilagan, Rep. Henry Teves at ang aking driver.

Malakas na kinokondena ng Gabriela Women’s Party ang naganap na
pagsabog na ito kung saan apat sa kasamahan namin sa Gabriela Women’s
Party ang nabiktima.

Mr. Speaker, the Gabriela Women’s Party strongly condemns this heinous
act! This is a vicious attack, a direct assault on the House of
Representatives and its elected members! That the bombing occurred at
the House of Representatives indicates that it is meant not just to
harm or kill but to deliver a strong political message.

Gabriela Women’s Party is cautioning the Philippine National Police
and the investigating team for making any premature and hasty
conclusion that the bombing is a simple case of personal politics
against Rep. Akbar. If this was so, why would the perpetrator do it
inside the House of Representatives in a manner that injured or caused
the death of other persons. But this happened right inside the
premises of this House, after the session, when congressmen and
women were preparing to leave the South Wing Lobby, making each and
every one of us here at risk and vulnerable. It could have been
anyone of us here who would have suffered the same fate if we were in
the vicinity.

We have every reason to believe that the bombing could have also
targeted us. Rep. Luz Ilagan was injured, her driver, Mr. Marcial
Taldo, died on the spot according to reports, her junior writer was
hurt, my own driver was hurt. The Gabriela Women’s Party, together
with Bayan Muna and Anakpawis representatives has just filed a new and
genuine impeachment complaint which includes the ZTE controversy, the
bribery attendant to the ZTE deal, the payment in Malacanang, extra
judicial killings and human rights violations and election fraud.

We opposed and continue to oppose all measures that we believe are
detrimental to our people.

It will be recalled, Mr. Speaker, members of this chamber, that the
Glorietta bombing came at the height of the ZTE scandal. The bombing
at the House of Representatives came at a time when the impeachment
complaint against President Arroyo is being deliberated upon by the
Committee on Justice. In fact it came in the eve of the hearing of
the Committee on Justice on the determination of sufficiency of
substance of the Pulido impeachment complaint against President
Arroyo. The Glorietta bombing shocked the public that it diverted
their attention from the ZTE controversy to the many casualties and
to the various investigations being conducted on the Glorietta
incident. This morning, the Committee on Justice callously ruled that
the impeachment complaint of Atty. Pulido was insufficient in
substance even as the public consciousness is reeling from last
night’s bombing of the House of Representatives. We cannot help but
conclude that this is another diversionary tactic.