The proclamation of a state of national emergency for the Philippines came barely three days after Duterte declared “a state of lawlessness,” which authorized the military and the police “to run the country” in the wake of the terror attack Friday night at his hometown in Davao City.
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“Earlier the Abu Sayyaf Group through “Abu Rami” claimed responsibility, but yesterday they denied it … so still we can not discount that aside from the Abu Sayyaf”, de la Rosa said. “That is the price of being in a democratic state”, he said, urging people to remain calm and vigilant.
The blast killed 14 people and wounded 67 others.
The Constitution mandates the president to report to Congress only if he intends to declare martial law and suspend the writ of habeas corpus in the process, according to Secretary Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s chief legal counsel.
He was in Davao at the time of the bombing but far from the site of the blast outside a hotel where he often holds meetings.
Police and military promised to act in accordance with his “state of lawlessness”, although there was some confusion about what that actually entailed.
A loved one cries in front of a body bag after an explosion at a market in Davao City, Philippines September 3, 2016. “I have this duty to protect the country”. On the orders of the president, Filipino forces launched an offensive against the Islamic State (Isis)-linked terrorist group, gunning down more than 30 of them in the course of a week in Sulu province.
The regional police chief, Chief Superintendent Manuel R. Gaerlan, said witnesses said the man who left the backpack after getting a massage at the open-air market hurriedly walked away from the scene, pretending not to hear those calling his attention.
“I did not experience them being abusive, and I don’t think they will be abusive now”, Arroyo said in a press briefing.
“To everyone, we just wanted to let you know that we need your help”, said Mayor Sara Duterte.
The White House offered condolences and assistance, which National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said President Barack Obama would convey when he meets Duterte in Laos next week.
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His election has prompted a spike in drug-related killings, with more than 2,000 deaths since he took office on 30 June, almost half of them in police operations. The death toll from the deadly blast has hit 15, with at least 70 people reported injured.
