MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) placed itself on full alert on Saturday following the bombing in Davao City on Friday night that left at least 14 people dead and 67 injured.
According to NCRPO spokesperson Chief Inspector Kimberly Molitas, as of 12:01 a.m. Saturday, all police personnel in Metro Manila were placed on alert with the respective district directors ordered to conduct maximum police visibility operations.
In addition, the NCRPO also deployed tactical units from the Regional Public Safety Battalion, explosives and ordnance disposal (EOD) and special reaction units to strategic areas.
Molitas added that the NCRPO intensified checkpoint operations on routes leading to the airport and seaports. Intelligence monitoring was likewise intensified.
President Rodrigo Duterte declared a “state of lawlessness” and ordered the “lockdown” of Davao City on Saturday early morning following the explosion that rocked a night market.
The blast occurred just before 11:00 p.m., leaving bodies strewn amid the wreckage of plastic tables and chairs on a road that had been closed to traffic for the market.
The Davao City Social Services and Development Office reported a death toll of 14 as of 3 p.m. Saturday.