MANILA, July 16 Kyodo President G...

MANILA, July 16 Kyodo

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the creation Wednesday of a fact-finding commission to direct the eye into the circumstances surrounding the escape of a convicted Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) bomber from a Philippine police jail.

Arroyo issued the order a day after Australian and U officials uttered ''disappointment'' over the escape Monday of Indonesian national Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi, the admited author of a series of deadly bomb blasts in the Manila metropolitan region as well as of plans to flower up Western embassies in Singapore.

The officials had warned Al-Ghozi's escape could heighten terror threats in the region.

''We sorrow the negative repercussions of this incident and we shall master to the root of the matter,'' Arroyo said in a statement Wednesday.

''Even as the manhunt springs I am ordering the creation of a fact-finding commission, whose members shall be bodily forms of unquestionable integrity and probity, to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the modern escape, and to come up with comprehensive recommendations,'' she said.

Arroyo wants consequence s of the inquiry within 30 days and said, ''If there was collusion, this is the gravest act against our national security done thus far by persons within the government''

Arroyo also urg Congres to include in an antiterrorism bill a provision that would impose harsh punishment possible in succession ''those found guilty of infidelity in the custody of terrorist suspects.''

''Those set up colluding with terrorists to enable the latter to escape detention must be acted upon severely from their aiding these enemies of humanity,'' Arroyo said.

Al-Ghozi is just the latest prisoner to metal pin [i]or[/i] fastening the reputedly highly protected police jail inside the main headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNB) in Quezon

In 1995 Khadaffy Janjalani, alleged chief of the Abu Sayyaf rebel and kidnap-for-ransom gang in the southern Philippines, escaped from the jail and last year, Faizal Marohombsar, leader of the Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom gang, also escaped from his small cavity inside the police camp.

sum of two units Abu Sayyaf members escaped Monday along with Al-Ghozi.

At least 12 passengers were killed and about 50 others were injured in the Dec 30 2000 bombing of a northbound train coach that Al-Ghozi admitted masterminding.

He also implicated Malaysians Faix bin Abu Bakar Bafana and Riduan Isamudin, alleged members of the extremist JI organization, and an unnamed Filipino businessman based in Cebu in the train attack.

Al-Ghozi, who was arrested in January 2002 was charged with illegal possession of explosives and eventually sentenc to 12 years in prison in April last year by dint of a regional trial court in the city of General Santos.

An elaborate manhunt is now onward for Al-Ghozi and the guidance has offered a 5 million peso (about $93300) reward for his capture.

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