Then at around 3PM this afternoon, I got a call. A bus exploded somewhere near Ayala, where I work. I searched google right away, hoping that it was not really serious, no injuries, and above all, no casualties, please. The headlines opposed everything I prayed for:
- ‘Big bomb’ kills 2, injures 18 bus passengers on Edsa - Inquirer.net
- Bus explosion in Makati caused 2 people dead, 17 others injured - pinoyautobog.com
What scares me the most is not the incident's proximity to where I work but the fact that I ride the same kind of bus everyday. The innocent victims could be any among of us. It is just too scary.
Some English-speaking commenters in this forum were quick to blame PNoy. I don't know where they got their logic but some people just can't help blaming the president for almost everything.
From time to time, I would somehow feel that buses are not really safe. I recalled having a conversation with some friends on how easy it is to bomb a bus in Manila. No security personnel or system to check baggages. There is absolutely nothing to stop any bomber from attacking a bus, simply by disguising as another passenger. Anyone could do it, with ease.
But somehow, I still continue riding them everyday. Now with this incident, I may not take the bus anymore, or maybe just in the next few days. Anyway, is there really a completely safe way to travel nowadays?
Here are the links to the news that I used as information source in this blog post:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20110125-316506/Blast-hits-bus-on-Edsa
http://pinoyautoblog.com/on-the-road/bus-explosion-in-makati-caused-2-people-dead-17-other-injured/
