On May 16, 2002 an explosion occurred at the Evergreen Hotel in

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dabaw; ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of lan ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

leaving American, Michael Meiring severely injured. The explosion was caused by a dynamite allegedly kept by Meiring inside his hotel room.

Background

On May 16, 2002, an explosion occurred at the Evergreen Hotel in Davao City, particularly inside the room which was stayed by American oncologist, Michael Meiring who was reportedly doing treasure hunting in the country since the 1990s. The explosion was caused by a dynamite he was allegedly keeping inside the room. Meiring was confined at the

Davao Doctors Hospital Davao Doctors Hospital is a privately owned hospital located in Davao City, Philippines. It was founded in 1969 in the Southern Philippines. It has 250 beds and a 10-storey Medical Tower Building that houses more than 130 active members of medic ...

after he sustained third-degree burns and had his leg amputated. On May 19, 2002 Agents from the US

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) reportedly brought Meiring out of Davao City to Manila via Subic Air through chartered flight allegedly arranged by the US Embassy in Manila. By May 22, he is already confined at the

Makati Medical Center Makati Medical Center (MMC), also known as Makati Med, is a tertiary hospital in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines with more than 600 beds. The hospital was founded on May 31, 1969. The hospital is owned and operated by Medical Doctors Inc., a ...

which is one of the two hospitals accredited by Meiring's medical insurance. Meiring's insurance could not cover the American's bills at the Davao Medical Center which is the reportedly the reason for his immediate transfer.

Victim

Michael Terrence Meiring is a former citizen of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

of British descent who reportedly fled the African country during the later years of the

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

era. He reportedly practiced his profession as a doctor for the South African police while being affiliated with the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

of Nelson Mandela. David Hawthorn, a close friend of Meiring claimed that his friend confessed of giving of a box of old US federal notes to the Mandela government. The box was one of 12 with each estimated to contain $500 million each. Meiring secured permits from the

Fidel Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...

administration to hunt for treasure in sunken American and Japanese ships. He later partnered with a powerful Manila-based group which has links to James Rowe. According to American intelligence analyst Dan Crawford, Rowe himself is linked to a Nevada

white supremacist White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

and

tax revolt Tax resistance is the refusal to pay tax because of opposition to the government that is imposing the tax, or to government policy, or as opposition to taxation in itself. Tax resistance is a form of direct action and, if in violation of the tax ...

group which has connection the Neo-Nazi Party in the United States and the Fifth Reich group of Germany. Meiring's American friends suspected that the Manila group may have conspired against him. According to both Hawthorn and secretary Silvya Durante, Meiring was feared for his life who reportedly says "it has to do with the treasure".

Legacy

The explosion is attributed to President Rodrigo Duterte's hostility towards the United States. In May 2016, Duterte's spokesman Peter Laviña cites the incident that involve Meiring as the reason for Duterte's negative sentiment towards the United States. Meiring was brought out of the country supposedly by US Embassy officials despite facing charges of possessing explosives which Duterte took offense against. He called the alleged act a disrespect against the sovereignty of the Philippines. Duterte says that he has received no apology from the United States for the incident. Duterte was still Mayor of Davao City at the time of the incident. At that time, Duterte said that he holds Meiring responsible for the incident saying that he refused to cooperate with the police when they made a search in his room before the explosion.

References

{{reflist 2002 crimes in the Philippines History of Davao City Philippines–United States relations