The blast tore through a street market outside the high-end Marco Polo hotel, a frequent haunt of Duterte, who was in the southern city of Davao at the time but was not hurt. This statement follows Andanar’s report in an ANC interview on Saturday, September 3, that a curfew would be implemented in parts of Mindanao.
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However, she emphasized that additional uniformed men were deployed in “high value targets” like malls, markets, parks, bus terminals and churches in response to the president’s declaration of “state of lawlessness” in Mindanao.
The President’s aides said the declaration simply meant that the police could call on the military to help suppress security threats. Lorenzana himself is not certain when it will be released.
“They are doing this to sympathize (with) our group and we are sending a message to President Rodrigo Duterte that all the Daulat throughout the country is not afraid of him”, he said.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte today declared a “state of lawlessness” in the country after 14 people were killed in a bomb blast at a night market in his home city.
Police said that at least 14 people were killed and 67 were wounded in the explosion.
Davao City Government tweeted on its official account: “Let us pray for the victims of this unfortunate incident, especially for those who died”.
The military is continuing to press an offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo following a clash on August 29 that left 15 soldiers dead.
She continued: “We’re very terrified because Davao City was known to be the safest city in the Philippines and a situation like this is very rare”.
Defending his tough stance against criminality, he said lawless elements like terrorists were already “beyond redemption”.
Abu Sayyaf, which means “bearer of the sword”, has previously used an Islamic State flag in some of its propaganda videos and runs what is among Asia’s most lucrative kidnapping rackets.
More than 2,000 alleged drug pushers and users have been killed since Duterte’s June 30 inauguration.
Mr Duterte, who was Davao mayor for almost two decades before becoming president in July, said the attack could have been in retaliation for an ongoing major assault on the Abu Sayyaf’s stronghold of Jolo island, about 900km from Davao.
“I do not want to pick a quarrel with Obama but certainly I would not appear to be beholden to anybody”, Duterte told a news conference in Davao City in southern Philippines before leaving for Laos. I thought it’s just barbecue.
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Meanwhile Mayor Sara Duterte has condemned the bombing.
