(Eagle News) — At least 11 people were injured in a blast near the Quiapo church in Manila on Friday night.
But National Capital Region Police Office Director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde said the explosion, which occurred at 10:49 p.m. along Quezon Boulevard, was not a terror attack, and was not related to the ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.
Philippine National Police chief Director Ronald Dela Rosa said investigators were looking at the possibility of a gang war angle instead.
This after several witnesses told the police two men on board the motorcycle were seen throwing what could be the device that caused the explosion in the site.
Albayalde said however that the information was still being verified.
According to the NCRPO chief, it was possible that device was a homemade pipe bomb.
Senator Richard Gordon said over Twitter that the Red Cross rushed two victims to the Jose Reyes Medical Center and another one to the Philippine General Hospital.
“Huwag maalarma ang publiko sa pangyayari. Isolated case lamang ito,” Dela Rosa said.
The explosion took place after heads of state and high-ranking officials from the 10 member-nations of the Southeast Asian regional bloc arrived in the country for the summit.
