A crowd of about 4,000 had gathered in the Plaza Miranda, a popular political forum in the heart of downtown Manila’s shopping and business district. They had turned out to hear speeches by Liberal Party candidates for Manila’s mayoralty and for eight of the country’s 24 Senate seats. It was a festive occasion; balloons floated through the evening air and spectators waved fans printed with the candidates’ names and slogans. The makeshift stage, built with old kerosene drums and boards, was crammed with Liberal Party officials, the smiling candidates and their wives.
Just as the ceremonies were to begin, two hand-grenade blasts ripped apart the speakers’ platform. The explosions brought instant death to eight spectators clustered near the platform, including a five-year-old child and Manila Times Photographer Ben Roxas. Virtually everyone on the stage was injured, including incumbent Senator Jovito Salonga, who is running for reelection; Liberal Party President Geraldo Roxas; and the Liberal Party’s 1969 presidential candidate, Senator Sergio Osmeria Jr., who received critical head and chest wounds. President Ferdinand Marcos termed the bombing “a national tragedy.” Who had caused the tragedy? Police believed that the hand grenades had been thrown by “leftist radicals” they had earlier noticed in the crowd.
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