Philippines condemns Friday's London attack

MANILA, Philippines —  The Philippine government on Saturday condemned what British police labeled as a terrorist attack after a homemade bomb exploded on a packed London commuter train on Friday and injured 22 people.

“We denounce this act of terror perpetrated against the British people," Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano was quoted as saying in a statement released by his department.

"We are one with our British friends at this time and express our hope that the perpetrators will soon be brought to justice," he added.

The blast happened as the train was about to leave Parsons Green station in West London during the morning rush hour, causing passengers going to the British capital to panic.

Police said a massive manhunt was under way to find out who was responsible.

Jihadist militant group ISIS – which has claimed responsibility for several assaults on Western countries, including two attacks in London and one in Manchester this year – said it was behind Friday’s attack.

According to the Philippine Embassy in London, it is “continuously monitoring” the situation although no Filipinos were hurt in the explosion.

Data from the Foreign Affairs department show that there are approximately 182,700 Filipinos living in the United Kingdom – 70 percent of them reside in the Greater London area.

In a separate statement, Malacañang said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the blast as we wish them a speedy recovery.”