Members of the frat, which counts the Philippines’ second most powerful man among its “elders,” were earlier tagged in the Sept. 26 grenade attack that marred the last day of this year’s bar examinations, injuring 47 people, mostly law students.

Citing a report from the National Bureau of Investigation, De Lima Tuesday said the three attacks were “connected” because they were the handiwork of persons belonging to the same group.

“The authors of these incidents, of these grenade-throwing incidents, are connected. That’s according to the NBI investigation,” the justice secretary said at a news briefing.

Asked if those involved in the earlier incidents of campus violence were APO members, she quickly replied: “Yes.”

Binay did not answer phone calls and had yet to be reached as of press time.

Asked to comment, frat elder Ferdie Ramos said De Lima was “singling out” APO. He challenged the NBI and the Department of Justice to “just file charges against us.”

De Lima had earlier directed the NBI to look into the grenade explosions near La Consolacion College on Mendiola Street in Manila in 2008 and at the University of Perpetual Help in Las Piñas City early this year, in order to validate information that these were related to the bar exams explosion.

The earlier attacks resulted in injuries to 22 and 14 persons, respectively.

Ultimatum

While De Lima said the motives in the three grenade-throwing incidents were “similar,” she declined to say that these were related to a frat war.

“For now, we don’t want to highlight the frat-war angle until we complete the investigation … [and] to avoid retaliatory actions [from other fraternities],” she said.

De Lima also issued an ultimatum to two more APO frat men suspected of involvement in the Sept. 26 explosion near the bar exams venue at De La Salle University.

She reiterated that the two men helped their “brod,” primary suspect Anthony Nepomuceno, escape mauling by four witnesses who purportedly saw him lob the MK2 grenade during the traditional street revelry on the last day of the bar exams.

“What I will do now is … relay to them an ultimatum. We know who they are,” De Lima warned, adding that NBI agents also “know where they work.”

“We are challenging them to surface for questioning. Otherwise, the NBI will now be constrained to file charges,” she said.

The NBI has filed charges of multiple frustrated murder and multiple attempted murder against Nepomuceno, 27. De Lima said the two other frat men could be charged as co-principals in the case.

Case build-up

As in earlier press briefings, De Lima declined to identify the two men so as not to jeopardize the NBI’s “case build-up” against them.

The justice secretary’s appeal for the two men to turn themselves in is “an opportunity for them [to clear their names],” she said. “But whether or not they will appear … the NBI, after several days from now, will file charges against [them].”

She also said she might order the two men put on the Bureau of Immigration’s “watch list” to prevent them from leaving the country.

Change of stance

De Lima expressed disappointment that the APO elders appeared to have reneged on their earlier promise to cooperate in the NBI probe on the Sept. 26 grenade attack.

“It’s too bad that they changed their stance now. I don’t know why. It was very clear to me that they have the commitment [to] cooperate in the on-going investigation,” she said.

De Lima said she was not keen on again seeking Binay’s help in convincing his brods to present Nepomuceno’s purported cohorts.

“If you ask me, I would rather not [see Binay]. But if the NBI advises me to do that, I’ll probably do that.

“That’s why I’m saying this now publicly. I’m appealing to the leadership of APO to again turn them in, like what they did to Nepomuceno.”

Binay, along with fellow APO member Silvestre Bello III, escorted Nepomuceno to the NBI on Oct. 27, ending a month-long manhunt for him.

Bello, a former justice secretary, told reporters then that he, Binay and other APO elders became convinced of Nepomuceno’s innocence after a brief “brod-to-brod” talk with him.

The Vice President drew rebuke when he virtually cleared Nepomuceno in an interview with reporters after turning in the suspect to the NBI.

‘Like magic’

Ferdie Ramos claimed that the frat remained firm in its pledge to assist the NBI in its investigation of the Sept. 26 explosion, “but not to the extent of sacrificing our brods.”

“If Secretary De Lima is disappointed with what’s happening, we are doubly saddened that APO is being blamed for these explosions,” Ramos said over the phone.

He pointed out that while the police did not link APO members to the explosions at La Consolacion and Perpetual Help, the NBI was able to identify the perpetrators “only one week” after De Lima ordered an inquiry.

“Their [investigation] was really fast. It’s like magic,” he said.

Ramos insisted that contrary to what was being implied, it was next to impossible for his brods to use grenades to harm rival frats.

“Are we a terrorist group like [Osama] bin Laden’s? Maybe the next time De Lima speaks with the media, she would tag APO a terrorist organization in the Philippines,” he said, adding:

“If the NBI has evidence against us, it is her (De Lima’s) duty as justice secretary to charge us. She should not condemn us and treat us like [we are] in the league of Bin Laden.”

Marlon Ramos, Phil. Daily Inquirer