Police investigators inspect the area of a market where an explosion happened in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr., Reuters

Andanar: Initial reports say IED shrapnel were found in blast site

DAVAO CITY (6TH UPDATE) - A huge explosion rocked a busy night market Friday evening in Davao City, the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 60 others, police and local officials said.

A statement from Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, released through the local government's official Facebook page, confirmed the initial 10 victims who died on the spot. Two other blast victims were reported dead at the South Philippines Medical Center.

A Davao City police report handed to President Rodrigo Duterte at a closed-door meeting with officials from concerned agencies raised the death toll to 14. It said 67 others were confirmed injured.

The cause of the explosion has yet to be determined.

"Right now, we cannot yet give definite answer to as to who is behind this as we are also trying to determine what really exploded," said Paolo, a son of President Duterte. "It's a sad day for Davao and for the Philippines."

The explosion happened at around 10 p.m., a time when many people flock to the popular night market in Roxas Avenue, according to Davao City police Insp. Katherine Dela Rey in an interview with DZMM.

Online images show emergency teams rushing people out of the night market, which was reopened only three weeks ago after being shut down, in wheelchairs and stretchers. Police have since cordoned off the area.

Members of Davao City 911, the Philippine Army, Explosive Ordnance Division (EOD) and Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) also arrived at the scene.

SWAT in Davao: pic.twitter.com/9PLW98Fkz0 — Fr. Jboy Gonzales SJ (@jboygonzalessj) September 2, 2016

More photos: now in front of Ateneo de Davao Roxas Ave gate is this scene: pic.twitter.com/nasMvoJrRI — Fr. Jboy Gonzales SJ (@jboygonzalessj) September 2, 2016

Police Regional Office 11 Director Chief Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan, in a statement, called for calm and asked people to refrain from "creating/passing misleading or unverified reports to avoid confusion and panic."

"The PNP is assuring the public that the situation is being handled carefully. A thorough investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the explosion and checkpoints/chokepoints were already established at all exit points in the city. We call on all the people to be vigilant at all times and report to the police any suspicious packages or persons," said Gaerlan.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, quoting initial reports,

told ABS-CBN News that components of a suspected improved explosive device (IED) were found at the blast site in Davao City.

"Sa initial reports ay mayroong nakitang shrapnel from a mortar-based improvised explosive device," he said.

Andanar, however, said it is not yet confirmed if an IED indeed caused the explosion. "No. You can say na mayroong initial report na galing sa isang mortar-based na IED."

He added that Davao City has been placed on high alert.

Checkpoint inilatag sa Doña Carmen Commonwealth kaugnay ng paglalagay sa QC sa heightened alert | via @RPfredcipres pic.twitter.com/dTjq1Vn6Ax — DZMM TeleRadyo (@DZMMTeleRadyo) September 2, 2016

Ateneo de Davao University, which is near the night market, has issued a lockdown and warned its students to avoid the area moments after the incident.

"To all the students and bystanders in the Roxas night market, please stay away from the area and give way to the ambulances and police," an announcement posted on the university's official Twitter account read.

Locals and tourists frequent the Roxas Night Market for bargain items and food. - with reports from Paul Palacio, Hernel Tocmo, and Jasper Magoncia, ABS-CBN News; DXAB</s>DAVAO, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine police blamed Islamic State-linked rebels on Saturday for a bombing that killed 14 people in President Rodrigo Duterte’s hometown and dealt a blow to the firebrand leader’s bloody crackdown on narcotics and militancy.

Investigators said Abu Sayyaf, a southern Philippine group notorious for acts of piracy, kidnappings and beheadings, had claimed responsibility for Friday’s night bombing at a Davao street market, although police said they were still trying to authenticate the claim.

The attack rattled the normally peaceful home city of Duterte, who typically spends his weekends there, some 980 kilometers away from the capital Manila. 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.

National police chief Ronald Dela Rosa said the bomb was home-made and fragments of mortar were found at the site, where two “persons of interest” had been caught on camera.

The bomb was likely to have been planted by Abu Sayyaf, he said, to divert the military’s attention from its operations to flush them out of their strongholds on the islands of Basilan and Jolo.

The military on Tuesday agreed to deploy a further 2,500 troops to carry out Duterte’s order to “destroy” Abu Sayyaf.

“From being offensive, they want us to be defensive,” Dela Rosa told a news conference late on Saturday.

Duterte canceled what would have been his first overseas visit on Saturday, to Brunei, and declared a nationwide “state of lawlessness” to deal with what he called an extraordinary security situation.

“I must declare a state of lawless violence in this country,” Duterte told reporters after visiting the blast site, where he assured the public that martial law had not been imposed.

Rallyists display placards condemning the bombing at a market in Davao city during a candlelight protest in front of the Catholic church in Quiapo city, metro Manila, Philippines September 3, 2016. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco

“I have this duty to protect this country,” he said.

POWERFUL ENEMIES

Police and military promised to act in accordance with his “state of lawlessness”, although there was some confusion about what that actually entailed. Duterte’s office said it referred to a constitutional clause that states the president has full power over the armed forces.

The bombing came as the abrasive former prosecutor wages war on narcotics kingpins and street dealers, Islamist rebels and corrupt bureaucrats, scoring big points in opinion polls but at a risk of making powerful enemies.

Rumors have swirled of a plot to assassinate Duterte, 71, which he has shrugged off as part of his job. The talk has been fueled by his controversial crackdown on drugs that saw him elected by a huge margin, but condemned by human rights groups and the United Nations.

More than 2,000 alleged drug pushers and users have been killed since Duterte’s June 30 inauguration. Critics are alarmed at the sheer number whose deaths have been attributed to vigilantes, and the president and police chief’s apparent support for it.

Duterte’s tough stance on crime has ensured Davao has been spared the kind of violence that has dogged other parts of Mindanao, a large island province where several Islamist militant groups operate, including Abu Sayyaf.

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 kidnap rackets.

It has this year decapitated two Canadian hostages and held Norwegian, Indonesian, Malaysian and Japanese citizens.

Slideshow (16 Images)

The group has long been a thorn in the side for the military and has used its ransom earnings to entrench its network and invest in modern weapons, boats and radar technology.

The White House offered condolences and assistance to the Philippines, a key regional ally. Duterte is expected to meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Laos next week, when he attends a the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia Summits.</s>Police investigators inspect the area of a market where an explosion happened in Davao City. Lean Daval Jr., Reuters

ZAMBOANGA CITY (1st UPDATE) - The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has claimed responsibility for the blast in Davao City which left 14 dead and more than 60 wounded on Friday evening.

READ: Davao blast death toll rises to 14; 67 others hurt

ASG spokesperson Abu Rami said the Davao attack is a "call for unity to all mujahideen in the country" amid the all-out offensive of the military against the group.

Rami said that the attack in Davao City is not part of a tactic to divert the attention of government forces who have been pursuing the bandits in Sulu and Basilan.

He warned that similar attacks should be expected in the coming days.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier this week ordered intensified operations to finish off the 400-strong terror group, following the death of 15 soldiers in a clash in Patikul, Sulu.

After the explosion in Davao, Duterte also declared a "state of lawlessness," where he will "invite uniformed personnel to run the country."

READ: Duterte declares 'state of lawlessness'

The military and the Philippine National Police earlier dismissed circulating text messages about an imminent attack.</s>(CNN) At least 14 people have been killed and dozens hurt in an explosion at a night market in Davao City in the Philippines, according to the Philippines News Agency, quoting a police official.

Earlier, Chief Superintendent Manuel Gaerlan, the director of Region 11 of the Philippine National Police, told CNN Philippines that 12 people were killed and 60 injured. He said 10 people died at the scene and two died after being taken to the Southern Philippines Medical Center.

He said the situation was fluid, and a maximum deployment of police and armed forces was called in to secure the region.

He asked the public to be vigilant, adding that the government was on the watch "in case there are other attacks."

He said Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, whose hometown is Davao City, was heading to the explosion site. It occurred at a busy night market known to attract thousands on Mindanao, the southern Philippine island where the city is located.

Paolo Duterte, Davao City's vice mayor and the President's son, told CNN Philippines that 60 people were injured in the blast. The Philippines News Agency said three of them are in critical condition.

All victims appear to be adults, Gaerlan said.

Authorities were still trying to confirm the cause of the explosion, he said. While the city was not on lockdown, there was an alcohol ban in place, and officials had asked people in the area to return to their homes.

Davao City was on high alert, with police checkpoints set up throughout the city, officials said.

Noel Vilanueva, medical director of Davao Doctors Hospitals, told CNN Philippines that four patients were brought to the facility, one of whom required surgery for a leg injury. That patient had metal fragments in the wounds.

Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar mentioned the possible involvement of the Islamist militant Abu Sayyaf group or drug lords, according to CNN affiliate ABS-CBN.

Duterte campaigned on a no-nonsense approach to crime and 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.

And government troops have been battling Abu Sayyaf, which remains outside the country's sputtering peace process.

Andanar said components of a suspected improved explosive device were found at the scene of the explosion, according to ABS-CBN.

Leonor Rala, a 19-year-old medical technology student at San Pedro College, told CNN she was in her dorm and about to go to bed when she heard an explosion.

She said she initially thought something had fallen on the roof of a neighboring building. She then went down to survey the scene of the blast, about 100 yards from her dorm. Emergency teams were already in place.

"I am really scared to go out," she said. "The roads are closed and nobody's allowed to go out of the city. There are bomb threats everywhere and some of my schoolmates are victims of the explosion and now 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."

Witness Janoz Laquihon told CNN Philippines he was at the scene when the explosion happened.

"I saw some smoke. I thought it's just barbecue. A few minutes later ... a big blast."

Witness Father Jboy Gonzales told CNN Philippines that he saw more than 30 people being loaded onto ambulances.

"[A] lot of people are wounded, shocked, traumatized," he said.

Davao City Government tweeted on its official account: "Let us pray for the victims of this unfortunate incident, especially for those who died."

Duterte made his name in politics as the mayor of Davao City. His term in office was noted for his hardline stance on drug crime that he has now incorporated into his national policies . It has resulted in more than 1,900 people being killed in a crackdown, which has drawn criticism at home and abroad.</s>DAVAO CITY: Authorities on Saturday blamed the notorious Abu Sayyaf terrorist and kidnap group for the bombing of a night market in President Rodrigo Duterte’s home city that killed at least 14 people and injured dozens.

An improvised explosive tore through the bustling market in the heart of Davao City and close to one of its top hotels just before 11:00 p.m. on Friday.

Authorities said the Abu Sayyaf, a small band of bandits that has declared allegiance to the Islamic State group, most likely carried out the attack in response to a military offensive launched against it last week.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Duterte believed the terrorists were behind the blast.

“The Office of the President texted and confirmed that was an Abu Sayyaf retaliation. For the city government side, we are working on that it is an Abu Sayyaf retaliation,” Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, who is also the President’s daughter, told CNN Philippines.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Abu Sayyaf had struck back after suffering heavy casualties on its stronghold of Jolo island in Sulu, about 900 kilometers from Davao.

“We have predicted this and warned our troops accordingly but the enemy is also adept at using the democratic space granted by our Constitution to move around freely and unimpeded to sow terror,” Lorenzana said in a statement.

Duterte, who was in Davao at the time of the attack but not near the market, told reporters before dawn Saturday that it was an act of terrorism, as he announced extra powers for the military under a “State of Lawless Violence.”

At least 14 people were killed and another 67 were wounded in the explosion, police said. Sixteen of the injured were in critical condition, a local hospital director told reporters.

Philippine National Police chief Ronald de la Rosa called on the public to remain calm but vigilant.

“We will not be cowed by this single act of terrorism; these people don’t deserve an inch of space in a civilized society,” he said in Camp Crame.

The President visited the blast casualties at the San Pedro Hospital, the Southern Philippines Medical Center, Angel Funeral Parlor and the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes.

“I suggest that the citizens also do their part by being vigilant and at this time, you can go anywhere but be sure if your hairs on your nape stand up, there’s something that’s afoot. Then maybe just get out as soon as possible,” he told reporters.

Pregnant woman dies

 Durian vendor Maribel Tabalwon, 34, told AFP chaos broke out after the blast. She helped rescue three victims but one of them, a woman seven months pregnant, eventually died.

“The blast was so loud the ground shook. She was crawling but she was lucky enough no one trampled her during the stampede. She was shaking and bleeding.”

Davao, which has a population of two million people, is the biggest city in Mindanao, where Islamic rebels have waged a decades-long separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 120,000 lives.

Duterte had been mayor of Davao for most of the past two decades, before winning presidential elections in a landslide in May and being sworn in on June 30.

He became well known for bringing relative peace and order to Davao with hard line security policies, while also brokering deals with local Muslim and communist rebels.

Duterte in recent weeks pursued peace talks with the two main Muslim rebel groups, each of which has thousands of armed followers. Their leaders have said they want to broker a lasting peace.

But the Abu Sayyaf, a much smaller and hardline group infamous for kidnapping foreigners to extract ransoms, has rejected Duterte’s peace overtures.

In response, Duterte deployed thousands of troops onto the small and remote island of Jolo to “destroy” the group.

The military reported 15 soldiers died in clashes on Monday, but also claimed killing dozens of Abu Sayyaf gunmen.

While Davao has been regarded as relatively safer than the rest of Mindanao, the Abu Sayyaf and other Islamic groups have carried out deadly attacks there in the past.

In 2003, two bomb attacks blamed on Muslim rebels at Davao’s airport and the city’s port within a month of each other killed about 40 people.

Duterte initially raised the possibility of drug lords carrying out Friday’s attack as a way of fighting back against his crime war.

More than 2,000 people have died in his unprecedented anti-crime crackdown, drawing widespread international condemnation over an apparent wave of extrajudicial killings.</s>AT LEAST 10 people were killed and 60 others were injured when an explosion struck a crowded night market on Roxas Avenue in President Rodrigo Duterte’s home city of Davao Friday night, authorities said.

The explosion occurred around 10:20 p.m. close to one of Davao City’s top hotels that is popular with tourists and business people, city police spokeswoman Sr. Insp. Catherine de la Rey said.

President Rodrigo Duterte, the former mayor of the city, and aide Christopher Go went to the blast site. Police suspected that an improvised explosive caused the blast, but presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a television interview there was “nothing definite yet” as regards the details

 of the explosion. ”We don’t want to cause anxiety,” Abella told CNN Philippines.

Those injured in the blast were rushed to the Southern Philippines Medical Center.

In a statement, Davao Region police director Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan said: “The PNP is assuring the public that the situation is being handled carefully. A thorough investigation is being conducted to determine the cause of the explosion and checkpoints/chokepoints were already established at all exit points in the city.” ”We call on all the people to be vigilant at all times and report to the police any suspicious packages or persons. Please refrain from creating/passing misleading or unverified reports to avoid confusion and panic,” he added.

Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, one of the President’s sons, likewise said authorities were on top of the situation. “Right now, we cannot yet give a definite answer as to who is behind this as we are also trying to determine what really exploded,” he said.

“Let us pray for the victims of this unfortunate incident, especially for those who died. Let us pray for those who are being treated in different hospitals and pray for their quick recovery. There are at least 10 people who perished because of the incident and a number were reported wounded,” he added.

The blast occurred amid military offensives against the IS-linked Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu province. Jihadists have earlier threatened to retaliate against military and civilian targets.</s>DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/01 Sept) — The Task Force Davao has assured Dabawenyos that there are no threats directed at the city from the Abu Sayyaf despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to “destroy them.”

Speaking in Thursday’s iSpeak Forum at the City Hall, TF Davao deputy commander Col. George Lalaquil said they have not received reports from the intelligence community that the city, where Duterte served as mayor for 22 years, is under threat amid Duterte’s war against the Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

He said TF Davao is coordinating closely with other military units outside the city, which increases the military’s position to deter possible terror attacks not only within but also outside the city.

“All relevant information is always shared to the appropriate unit that needs to act on it,” he said.

Lalaquil said TF Davao is now conducting more random monitoring activities day in and day out and setting up more checkpoints at all entry points both by land and sea in order to secure the city.

He said TF Davao has enough number of Special Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary (SCAA) members and regular troops who do the security patrols while another platoon from the10th Infantry Division will agument the security force.

A press release issued by the City Information of Office (CIO) on Wednesday, said the Presidential Security Group (PSG) has doubled the security of the President’s family, most especially his grandchildren, following Duterte’s naming of alleged involvement of politicians, high ranking police officials and judges.

Duterte’s son, Paolo, the city’s vice mayor, told reporters that their security has been beefed up.

“Akong gipabantayan og maayo sa among pamilya kay among mga anak (I requested that security of our children be intensified),” he said.

The President has four children, three with his former wife, Elizabeth Zimmerman – Paolo, Sara, the incumbent mayor, and Sebastian, and one with partner Honeylet Avancena.

The President has nine grandchildren. Paolo has five, Sebastian has two and Sara has two, and will soon have five. Sara is pregnant and the ultrasound result indicates she will have triplets.

The press release quoted the Vice Mayor as saying threats have always been part of their lives but security measures have been undertaken to ensure their protection.

 as saying that threats have always been part of their lives but they “have always been

“Kami tanan alerto (All of us are ready),” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)</s>At least 12 people died and dozens were injured when a bomb tore through a bustling night market in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's home city on Friday, authorities said.

The blast occurred just before 11:00pm (1500 GMT), leaving bodies strewn amid the wreckage of plastic tables and chairs on a road that had been closed to traffic for the market in the heart of Davao city.

An improvised explosive device caused the explosion, presidential spokesman Martin Andanar said, adding drug traffickers opposed to Duterte's war on crime or Islamic militants may have been responsible.

"There are many elements who are angry at our president and our government," Andanar told DZMM radio, after referring to the drug traffickers and the militants.

"We are not ruling out the possibility that they might be responsible for this but it is too early to speculate."

Twelve people were confirmed killed and more than 30 others injured, according to Ernesto Abella, another presidential spokesman.

Davao is the biggest city in the southern Philippines, with a population of about two million people. It is about 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from the capital of Manila.

The blast occurred in the centre of Davao, close to one of the city's top hotels that Duterte sometimes holds meetings in, as well as a major university.

"The force just hurled me. I practically flew in the air," Adrian Abilanosa, who said his cousin was among those killed, told AFP shortly afterwards.

Duterte was in Davao on Friday but was not near the market when the explosion occurred, according to his aides.

They said he went straight into meetings with security chiefs following the blast.

Davao is part of the southern region of Mindanao, where Islamic militants have waged a decades-long separatist insurgency that has claimed more than 120,000 lives.

Communist rebels, who have been waging an armed struggle since 1968, also maintain a presence in rural areas neighbouring Davao.

Duterte had been mayor of Davao for most of the past two decades, before winning national elections in a landslide this year and being sworn in as president on June 30.

Duterte became well known for bringing relative peace and order to Davao with hardline security policies, while also brokering local deals with Muslim and communist rebels.

However in 2003, two bomb attacks blamed on Muslim rebels at Davao's airport and the city's port within a month of each other killed about 40 people.

Duterte has in recent weeks pursued peace talks with the two main Muslim rebel groups. Its leaders have said they want to broker a lasting peace.

However Duterte also ordered a military offensive to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf, a small but extremely dangerous group of militants that has declared allegiance to Islamic State and vowed to continue fighting.

Fifteen soldiers died on Monday in clashes with the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo island, one of the Abu Sayyaf's main strongholds about 900 kilometres from Davao.

Presidential spokesman Andanar referred to the fighting on Jolo when he speculated on who may have been behind Friday's bomb attack.

The Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility for three bomb attacks in 2005 -- one in Davao, one in a nearby city and a third in Manila -- that killed eight people.

The Abu Sayyaf, notorious for kidnapping foreigners to extract ransoms, said it conducted the 2005 attacks in response to an offensive against it at that time.

Andanar on Friday also raised the possibility of drug lords carrying out the attack as a way of fighting back against Duterte's war on crime.

Duterte has made eradicating illegal drugs the top priority of the beginning of his presidency.

Security forces have conducted raids in communities throughout the country to arrest or kill drug traffickers.

More than 2,000 people have died in the war on crime.

The United States, the United Nations and rights groups have expressed concern about an apparent wave of extrajudicial killings.

But the United States quickly released a statement expressing deep condolences for Friday's blast.</s>Philippines president: Explosion that killed 15 was act of terrorism

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said an explosion in Davao City that killed at least 15 people Friday night was an act of terrorism and he placed the country on lockdown, the official Philippines News Agency reported.

About 69 people were hurt in the explosion that 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.

Duterte authorized the police and military to search cars and frisk people at checkpoints, the PNA said. He put the nation under a “state of lawlessness,” saying he has not declared martial law and has not suspended the writ of habeas corpus.

“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.”

No group has claimed responsibility, but Duterte said it’s possible the explosion “could be a reprisal” from extremists. Presidential spokesman Martin Andanar mentioned the possible involvement of the Islamist militant Abu Sayyaf group or drug lords, according to CNN affiliate ABS-CBN. Duterte campaigned on a no-nonsense approach to crime and 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. And government troops have been battling Abu Sayyaf, which remains outside the country’s sputtering peace process. Andanar said components of a suspected improved explosive device were found at the scene of the explosion, according to ABS-CBN. Duterte people should submit to searches and frisking at checkpoints. “We know that this is not a fascist state. I cannot control the movement of the citizens of the city and every Filipino has the right to enter and leave Davao. It is unfortunate we cannot stop and frisk anybody for just any reason,” he said.

MORE FROM THIS SECTION</s>(CNN) Police in the Philippines are looking for three people they want to question -- one man and two women -- in connection with the blast at a crowded market in Davao City that killed 14 people Friday night.

Philippines National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa told CNN Saturday the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device made of mortar rounds -- which pointed to extremist groups being behind the deadly explosion.

Dela Rosa told reporters at a news conference in the southern Philippines city Saturday evening that authorities had eight witnesses, and a sketch of one suspect.

Sixty-eight people were injured in the explosion at the crowded night market in President Rodrigo Duterte's hometown, Dela Rosa said. Fifteen of the injured are in critical condition, CNN Philippines reported, citing Southern Philippines Medical Center director Leopoldo Vega.

Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte -- the President's son -- said the city had received a bomb threat two days before the blast, CNN affiliate ABS-CBN reported.

On Saturday morning, during a visit to the blast site, Duterte told reporters that Islamist militants could be responsible.

"We are not new to this kind. It is always connected with the Abu Sayyaf or in Central Mindanao," he said, according to a statement from his office.

"But this is not the first time that Davao City has been sacrificed in the altar of violence."

He said he had warned the public that there could be blowback from intensified government military operations against the pro-ISIS Islamist group Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province, where 8,000 troops deployed in recent weeks.

"We have always been ready for this. I warned, I remember warning everybody that there could be a reprisal because of the pressure there in Sulu which is going on," Duterte said.

Abu Sayyaf is a violent extremist group that split from the established Philippines separatist movement Moro National Liberation Front in 1991. The group, which remains outside the country's sputtering peace process, has the stated aim of establishing an independent Islamic state on the southern island of Mindanao, on which Davao City is located.

The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, with a large Muslim population in the south.

Duterte has described the attack as an act of terrorism, and declared the nation in "a state of lawlessness," authorizing police and the military to search cars and frisk people at checkpoints.

The "state of lawlessness" is the mildest of the three executive powers the president can order, giving him the power to summon the military and work more closely with police, but falls short of being a declaration of martial law. The president can only impose martial law in case of invasion or rebellion, Duterte's spokesman said.

"It's not martial law but I am inviting now the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the military and the police to run the country in accordance with my specifications," he said, according to CNN Philippines.

Duterte, who visited a morgue early Saturday to pay respects to the dead, said people should submit to searches and frisking at checkpoints for the sake of public safety.

"We know that this is not a fascist state. I cannot control the movement of the citizens of the city and every Filipino has the right to enter and leave Davao. It is unfortunate we cannot stop and frisk anybody for just any reason," he said.

Police and military are on high alert across the country, and authorities have urged the public to be vigilant in case of further attacks.

Duterte, the longtime mayor of Davao City, has faced domestic and international criticism since taking national office for his hardline stance on suspected drug offenders.

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.

Leonor Rala, a 19-year-old medical technology student at San Pedro College, told CNN Friday night that she was terrified after the blast struck near her dorm.

She said she initially thought something had fallen on the roof of a neighboring building. She went down to survey the scene of the blast, about 100 yards from her dorm. Emergency teams were already in place.

"I am really scared to go out," she said. "Some of my schoolmates are victims of the explosion and now 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."
An explosion at a night market in Davao City, Philippines, kills at least 14 people and injures 60. President of the Philippines and former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte was in the city at the time. Abu Sayyaf have claimed responsibility for the attack.