Manila on heightened alert after Basilan blast
MANILA — Metro Manila has been placed under heightened alert status following a car bomb attack in Basilan that left 11 people dead, Chief Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar confirmed Thursday.
Additional checkpoints will be placed in Metro Manila and police presence will be heightened in public places, according to a report from News 5.
Eleazar, who is chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, also clarified that they have not received reports of any security threats in the capital.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines earlier dismissed the claims of the Islamic State that they were behind the bombing in Basilan.
“They are claiming everything. Even what happened in Manila, they were claiming to have had a hand in it. They are doing it to heighten the support and to show that they are still there,” Gen. Carlito Galvez, AFP chief, said.
The attack ocurred at around 5:50 a.m. on July 31, when a van earlier flagged down at a checkpoint exploded while being inspected by soldiers in Lamitan City, Basilan.
A soldier and five members of CAFGU were instantly killed while inspecting the vehicle, the AFP said in statement released Tuesday.
"While we commend our troops, we condemn in the highest possoble terms this yet anither dastardly attempt of terrorists to kill, maim and injure innocent civilians," the AFP said. —