As regards this appointment, the head of state made sure that he will not admit sermons on the part of the US President, Barack Obama, on human rights, when they meet.
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Mr Duterte had described Friday’s bombing as terrorism and imposed a “state of lawlessness” in the country on Saturday, which gave the military extra powers to conduct law enforcement operations normally done only by the police, such as conducting searches and setting up checkpoints. Lorenzana himself is not certain when it will be released.
“There is a crisis in this country involving drugs, extrajudicial killings and there seems to be an environment of lawless violence”, said Duterte, who promised to tackle crime, corruption and drug use when he was inaugurated as president back in June.
PHILIPPINE authorities said Sunday that they wished to question three people over the Friday night bombing at a busy night market in Davao City.
TV footage showed plastic chairs strewn about at the scene of the blast, where witnesses said the bodies of some of the dead lay scattered a few hours after the explosion.
Duterte, the longtime mayor of Davao City, has faced domestic and worldwide criticism since taking national office for his hardline stance on suspected drug offenders.
Some commanders of Abu Sayyaf have pledged allegiance to the self-declared “Islamic State” (IS) group.
The incident took place at a street market outside the high-end Marco Polo hotel in Davao, in the southern Philippines, a military spokesman told reporters by phone.
“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.
On Monday at least 12 soldiers were killed in clashes with militants in what was the deadliest day for Philippine troops since President Duterte was elected in May. The police force in the capital also went on full alert at midnight. “We are all in mourning – said the President CBCP – for the death of innocent brothers and sisters”.
Police said the still unidentified perpetrators used a cellular phone-activated improvised mortar to carry out the attack.
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President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation No. 55 declaring a State of National Emergency on Account of Lawless Violence in Mindanao before he left for the Asean Summit in Laos Monday, September 5.
