A state of emergency has been declared in the southern Philippines city of General Santos after bombings that police blame on Muslim extremists.
The worst blast killed at least 14 people outside a busy department store and injured 69 others. Police said they arrested two suspects today.
President Ms Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called the attacks that struck the city yesterday "a crime against the Filipino people".
"This evil will not go unpunished," Ms Arroyo said in a statement after visiting the predominantly Christian city. "We will fight terrorism to its end".
Ms Arroyo said federal officials would work with local leaders to impose curfews and increase checkpoints. She urged the Philippine congress to pass a pending anti-terrorism bill that would raise penalties for violators and increase police powers. A man who called a radio station to warn of yesterday's explosions called back today, saying they were retribution for alleged attacks against Muslim civilians by the Philippine military in its US-backed war against Abu Sayyaf rebels.
The man identified himself as Abu Muslim al-Ghazie and said he represented the Abu Sayyaf. In a call to the Radio Mindanao Network before the blasts, he claimed 18 bombs had been planted around the city.
But other Abu Sayyaf spokesmen said they had no knowledge of the group's involvement.
AFP