11 Deaths from Glorietta Blast

Last night, the eleventh victim to lose his life was named as Ricardo Petras. He was a cashier at the Replay Clothing Store.

Jee Ann de Gracia, Nino Vidamo and Maureen de Leon were three friends who wanted to have lunch and discuss their plans for the future.

Anthony Marius Arroyo was a seaman bound for Germany, buying clothes with his wife.

Janine Marcos was a dean's lister in school who just happened to pass by the mall on her way home.


You can read more about them at Inquirer. net by clicking here.

It's so sad how life is just stripped away violently. How people can become so evil and think that they have the right to determine how short someone else should live. All for some supposedly meaningful cause, that has nothing to do with the innocent.

We come to realize more and more how these victims were simple, ordinary people. Most of them were breadwinners, not at all rich - just trying to provide the best that they could for their families.

Let's always remember these men and women, and pray that their families find peace despite these devastating times. That justice still has a place in this country.

Updates on the Glorietta Bombing

The video is from ABS-CBN network's report last night. This is not a post on the loss of a beloved celebrity, but of real individuals who were affected by an unforgettably sad moment in the country.

Yesterday at around 1:30 pm, there was a major explosion in Glorietta 2, one of the busiest malls in Makati city. The blast reportedly originated from the Luk Yuen restaurant at the ground floor, but the extent of the damage is shocking. The roof burst open, escalators destroyed, some people missing. The latest report is that RDX, the main component of C4, was found in the site. Read this for more details.

This is another indication that security measures have to be improved in public places, especially in malls, which are frequented by families and office workers. Glorietta, being one of the most popular Ayala malls has already been hit by a bomb 7 years ago. This time however, it's worse as fatalities occurred. Just today, the explosion officially claimed 10 lives. Inquirer.net released the list of injured and dead victims. As of 11:30pm, those who lost their lives were identified as Jose Allan de Jesus, Liza Marquez, Lester Peregrina, Janine Marcos, Anthony Marius Arroyo, Maria Celeste Cruz, Jae Ann de Gracia, Cesar Nino Vedano, Rainier Tan and just recently, Maureen de Leon.

Hopefully the ones responsible for this will be put to justice. Today, ABS-CBN reported that the Rajah Sulayman Movement (RSM) has claimed responsibility for it, but the government has yet to determine if this is true. Let's continue to pray for the safety of the Filipinos.

TLC's loss is irreplaceable : Lisa Lopes

It was in April 2002 when the tragic news broke out. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, one of the members of the R&B and hip hop trio TLC, died in a car crash. Her car spun out of control, as she was traveling in Honduras. She was only 30 years old.

Lisa was known as the rapper and most outspoken member of the group. They had tremendous hits like Creep, Waterfalls, and No Scrubs. Despite the squabbles between the members and their label, TLC will always be one of the most successful and awarded female tandems in music history. They will always be my favorite group. To read more, click here, courtesy of MTV. Photo from img2.timeinc.net.