Philippines President: Explosion that killed 14 was Act of Terrorism

Local Editor

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared the nation in "a state of lawlessness" on Friday night after an explosion at a Davao City market killed at least 14 people and injured 71, the official Philippines News Agency reported.

Duterte, saying the explosion was an act of terrorism, authorized the police and military to search cars and frisk people at checkpoints, the PNA said. Duterte said he had not declared martial law and has not suspended the writ of habeas corpus, the PNA said.

"We have to confront the ugly head of terrorism," Duterte said, standing near the explosion site on Roxas Avenue in Davao City, his hometown. "We will take this as a police matter about terrorism."

The explosion happened around 10 p.m. Friday [10 a.m. ET] at the Roxas night market near Ateneo de Davao University, said Chief Inspector Catherine Dela Rey, spokeswoman for Davao City Police.

The market is known to attract thousands.

Police say that the explosive was a homemade device, filled with shrapnel.

The cause of the blast is not known, but presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said components of a suspected improved explosive device were found at the scene, according to CNN affiliate ABS-CBN.

No group had claimed responsibility but Duterte said it's possible the explosion "could be a reprisal" from extremists.

In a statement Saturday, the Philippine's National Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana said he "assumes" the attack was carried out by the Takfiri militant group Abu Sayyaf.

Duterte, the longtime mayor of Davao City, was elected president last May. He campaigned on a no-nonsense approach to crime and launched an intense -- and deadly -- crackdown on drug dealers.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer's "Kill List" -- regarded as one of the most accurate records of the killings of suspected drug dealers by police and vigilantes -- has recorded 832 deaths since Duterte assumed office June 30.
Police say at least 239 drug suspects were killed in the three weeks after Duterte's inauguration.

Government troops had been battling Abu Sayyaf, which remains outside the country's sputtering peace process.

The group aims to establish an independent state on the southern island of Mindanao, where Davao City is located.

Abu Sayyaf is a violent extremist group that split from established Philippines separatist movement Moro National Liberation Front in 1991. It was formed by Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, who trained in the Middle East and reportedly met with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team