Bombshell Conspiracies in the Philippines

Bombshell Conspiracies in the Philippines
A spate of deadly bombings has rocked stability in the Philippines, setting off conspiracy theories about whether Muslim rebels, internationally linked terrorists or President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's government are behind the mysterious attacks. No group has taken responsibility for the fatal blasts. Nonetheless, security forces have been put on heightened alert across the archipelago, raising fears that Arroyo may soon declare martial law or a state of emergency to defuse the crisis, a move that would potentially extend her hold on power beyond her legally circumscribed six-year term.
Bombings last week in Cotabato City, Iligan and Jolo, all on the southern island of Mindanao, killed 12 people and wounded nearly 100 more. Government officials have offered conflicting explanations for the bombs. The military was quick to pin blame to the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which it has battled since a peace-for-autonomy deal came unraveled last August. The AFP says that the MILF have staged 38 bomb attacks this year and that bomb fragments recovered from some of last week's attack sites bore the hallmarks of previous MILF attacks. Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) had recently trained both MILF and the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf terror group in bomb-making techniques, insinuating one or the either was responsible for the recent attacks.