Police yesterday confirmed Tribune’s Saturday report that military explosives of the C4 type were used in a huge bomb blast at the Glorietta 2 mall that killed nine and left 113 injured.

Traces of a main component of the powerful C4 military grade plastic explosive were found at the Glorietta mall in Makati City, a chemist from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime laboratory informed President Arroyo, military and police officials during a briefing yesterday at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Evidence collected from Friday’s Glorietta mall blast indicates that the bomb “contained

RDX, the main chemical component of C4,” the chemist said.

C4 explosive is only used by the military.

Tribune sources said C4 is generally used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ SWAG teams and the PNP’s Special Action Forces (SAF).

But even as there was a police admission of the possibility of military involvement in the bomb blast, both Mrs. Arroyo and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. quickly absolved the military and instead pointed the finger at various rebel groups such as the Abu Sayyaf, the communists, rightists or extremist elements, with Esperon saying the Makati bomb blast was a terrorist attack.

He denied allegations that soldiers were behind the attack, but said he would open the military to a police investigation.

While pointing to different rebel groups and absolving the military, however, Esperon failed to explain how the Abu Sayyaf or the communists, or the rightists or extremists could possibly have obtained the C4, even it is only the military that can purchase C4 explosives.

“It is a terrorist attack. Whoever is the perpetrator, they are terrorizing the people, but we have not identified them yet,” the military chief was quoted as saying.

The Abu Sayyaf issued a denial, claiming its rebels had no hand in the bombing, pointing out that it was impossible for the Abu Sayyaf to even move around as Marines were all over the place.

The Communist leaders also issued a denial yesterday.

Aboveground leftists, for their part, pointed the finger at Mrs. Arroyo and her military as being behind the bombing, saying that bombs were made to go off to divert the attention of the public from the bribery and corruption scandals rocking her government.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, which came weeks after military intelligence foiled an alleged plot by al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants to bomb the southern port city of Zamboanga.

But a person claiming to be a spokesman of another terrorist group, the Rajah Sulaiman Group, also yesterday claimed responsibility for the Glorietta bomb attack, but the authenticity of his statement is doubted.

Senior Supt. Bert Ferro, who heads the police bomb data center, said samples taken from the site leads him to “presume that those are of military ordinance components.”

A chemist from the center told Mrs. Arroyo that it was possible that more samples were being collected from the site, but “at this point, that is what we have.”

PNP Director-General Avelino Razon said the government was putting up a P2 million reward for any information leading to arrests.

He also announced that he has already ordered the PNP’s anti-terror group Task Force Sanlahi to be “on the lookout” for terrorism suspects.

“We have this watchlist of terrorists and directed Task Force Sanlahi to be on the lookout and arrest them if they are in the area.”

“We also requested different security agencies to instruct security guards to be more deliberate in the conduct of their search of bags and packages entering these places,” he added.

National Capital Region Police Office chief Geary Barias said they have also started reviewing closed-circuit TV footage of the area where a blast occurred Friday afternoon.

It was also claimed that the bomb exploded from the basement of the mall.

Checkpoints have been in place since Friday night.

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said authorities were also looking at the Abu Sayyaf as possible suspects, noting that the group may have carried it out as part of their campaign to attract funding from international terrorist groups.

Critics expect the PNP to produce, in a few days, several recycled bomb suspects and parade them before the public, to claim that the case is solved.

The 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front said Saturday it is “prepared to gather intelligence for the Philippine authorities if asked to do so,” spokesman Eid Kabalu told Agence France Press.

“We would like to help out if asked. This could help the military at least eliminate some groups from their list of suspects,” he said, adding that the offer was being made as a “sincere gesture” that could also help revive stalled peace talks.

Reports said officials from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were helping Philippine police in the probe.

Throughout the night bomb experts sifted through blast debris trying to find clues as to what sort of bomb was used.

The mall remained sealed Saturday, with a cordon of policemen guarding its perimeter.

Razon said the bomb was apparently left at a delivery bag near a popular Chinese restaurant at the mall shortly after lunch, but the data center officials said the bomb came from the basement.

He said investigators were also reviewing closed circuit television cameras and interviewing survivors and witnesses.

Security in all malls, bus and train stations, as well as sea and airports have been intensified, Razon said, with elite police commandos patrolling streets.

Ayala Land, which owns the mall, estimated the damage at P100 million.

An irritated Esperon, reacting to accusations that he and NSA Gonzales were behind the bombing, said: “They allege that I was the mastermind. It’s illogical. I should be the one who will secure our people,” he said.

Department of National Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., for his part, dismissed speculation that the explosion in Makati last Friday, was intended to divert the public’s attention from the bribery controversy in Malacañang.

“I think those who make that accusation or blame are to be condemned by society because this is a terrible and painful incident. This should not be used for politicking, “Teodoro told reporters.

A beleaguered Mrs. Arroyo, is also also pointed to by militant groups as being the perpetrator of the bomb attack, yesterday attempted to rally the Filipinos to unite behind her government and to continue working hard amid developments that pose fresh threats to the country’s economic takeoff.

She said that the “nation is faced with the problem of terrorism, spiraling price of oil, and political squabbling, yet the political noise continues.”

Mrs. Arroyo urged the people to shun those who seek to destabilize government.

“Let us fight them. We had to be strong. Let us link hands, persevere, sacrifice and do not be swayed by those who create trouble” while appealing for unity to continue with the economic progress that create wealth and jobs.”

The metropolis was placed on full red alert since Friday, with a total of 6,000 policemen and soldiers on security patrol in the capital.

At the same time, Mrs. Arroyo who has been denounced by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also sought the bishops’ support, as she directed police to link up with Church leaders in tracking down the perpetrators of Friday’s explosion.

“Coordinate and cooperate with Church leader to identify the perpetrators,” she ordered the authorities present during the briefing at Camp Crame.

There has been a call for her resignation by at least three bishops after the expose on the cash bribes given in paper bags to all the congressmen and governors in a meeting at Malacañang. With Gina Peralta-Elorde, Sherwin C. Olaes AFP and Tribune wires