The Rizal Day bombings, also referred to as the December 30 bombings, were a series of bombings that occurred around
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
on December 30, 2000. The explosions occurred within a span of a few hours, killing 22 people and injuring over 100 others.
The blasts occurred during a national holiday in the Philippines, where December 30 is known as
Rizal Day, commemorating the martyrdom of the country's national hero,
José Rizal.
Blast locations
Five locations were bombed almost simultaneously within the span of an hour. All of the locations were situated within
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
on the island of
Luzon
Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...
.
*A bomb exploded at Plaza Ferguson in
Malate, Manila, less than a hundred meters from the
United States Embassy.
*Another detonated at a gasoline station just outside the
Makati central business district. The site was along
EDSA, across the street from the
Dusit Hotel in
Makati. Two members of the local police bomb squad died as a result.
*The cargo handling area of
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was also targeted with at least one explosive device.
*Another device was detonated inside a bus traveling along
EDSA. The bomb exploded while the bus was in the
Cubao area of
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...
. One passenger was killed, while several others were injured.
*The explosion that claimed the most casualties occurred in a train cab at the
Blumentritt station of the
LRT Line 1 in
Santa Cruz, Manila.
Type of explosive employed
The
Philippine National Police identified the bombs as comprising one-kilogram
black-powder, detonated using timing devices. In addition, confessions by the convicted perpetrators describe the bombs as made of
ammonium nitrate-based explosives. Most of the components, such as blasting caps and detonation cords, were discovered to have come from the city of
Talisay in the southern province of
Cebu. The town is known for the production of blasting caps used in
illegal fishing.
Perpetrators
Initially, various
Islamic
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
groups were suspected of the bombings, including the
Jemaah Islamiyah, the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the
Moro National Liberation Front.
In September 2003, almost three years after the incident, the case remained unsolved for which the authorities responsible were berated by then-
senate president Franklin Drilon.
In May 2003, Saifullah Yunos (a.k.a. Mukhlis Yunos), a suspect in the bombings, was arrested in the southern city of
Cagayan de Oro
Cagayan de Oro (abbreviated CDO and officially the City of Cagayan de Oro; ; Bukid language, Binukid: ''Ciudad ta Cagayan de Oro''; ; ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Regions of the Philippi ...
as he was about to board a plane to
Manila
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
. Police were alerted to the suspect when he failed to explain bandages on his face and arms.
A month later, he confessed to a level of involvement in the bombings. A member of the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front's special operations group, he was charged with multiple murders and attempted murders for his role in the bombings.
In the following years, several members of the
Jemaah Islamiyah were arrested for their suspected involvement in the bombings. In 2004, two Muslim men, Mamasao Naga (a.k.a. Zainal Paks) and Abdul Pata (a.k.a. Mohamad Amir) were arrested by Philippine armed forces in
Marawi City
Marawi, officially the Islamic City of Marawi (Maranao language, Maranao: ''Bandar a Marawi''; ; Jawi script, Jawi ''(Batang Arab)'': ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the ...
. They were supposedly identified by
Fathur Rahman Al-Ghozi, a known member of the
Jemaah Islamiyah, as the ones responsible for the LRT-1 train cab bombing.
The MILF and the MNLF were later cleared by the Philippine National Police of any involvement in the attacks.
Fathur Rahman Al-Ghozi, an
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
n national and member of the known terrorist group
Jemaah Islamiyah, was convicted and sentenced to 17 years in prison for illegal possession of explosives in relation to the Rizal Day bombing incidents. In July 2003, Al-Ghozi, along with several other accomplices, escaped from their holding cell at
Camp Crame.
Al-Ghozi was later killed in a firefight with Philippine authorities on October 13, 2003.
On January 23, 2009, the three Rizal Day bombers, Mukhlis Hadji Yunos, Abdul Fatak Paute, and Mamasao Naga, were sentenced by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 29, under Judge Cielito Mendaro-Grulla, for up to 20 years in imprisonment for multiple murders and multiple attempted murders.
Aftermath
In December 2006, almost six years after the bombings, Metro Manila police went on heightened alert due to bomb scares and the prospect of follow-up attacks on the anniversary of the bombings.
The
AFP followed suit days after, deploying numerous bomb squads and medical teams to both
Fort Bonifacio and
Luneta.
In addition, the PNP's Explosives and Ordnance Division and
SWAT deployed teams to
LRT-1 stations along Taft Avenue, near one of the original bombing sites.
The bombings were briefly mentioned in one of the segments in the 2023 film, ''Ang Duyan ng Magiting'', an official entry to the 19th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
See also
*
2005 Valentine's Day bombings
*
2004 SuperFerry 14 bombing
*
Christmas Eve 2000 Indonesia bombings
*
Strasbourg cathedral bombing plot (Christmas 2000)
References
Further reading
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rizal Day Bombings
2000 building bombings
2000 crimes in the Philippines
Jemaah Islamiyah
Moro conflict
Crime in Metro Manila
History of Metro Manila
History of the Philippines (1986–present)
Railway accidents and incidents in the Philippines
Railway accidents in 2000
Mass murder in 2000
Terrorist incidents on railway systems in Asia
20th-century mass murder in the Philippines
20th century in Manila
Presidency of Joseph Estrada
December 2000 in the Philippines
Islamic terrorism in the Philippines
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2000
Terrorist incidents in the Philippines in 2000
Building bombings in the Philippines
Bus bombings in Asia