A bombing that killed four people and wounded dozens in the southern Philippines early Sunday was “perpetrated by foreign terrorists,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement.
At least 50 were injured in the blast during a Catholic mass at a gymnasium at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City, according to the Philippine military. The southern city was under siege for months by Islamic militants in 2017.
Marcos has ordered the police and military to step up security while urging the public to remain calm.
“I have instructed the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to ensure the protection and safety of civilians and the security of affected and vulnerable communities,” Marcos said in the statement. “Additional security personnel are also being deployed.”
“Extremists who wield violence against the innocent will always be regarded as enemies to our society,” the president also said.
Over 1,000 people died, and hundreds of thousands were displaced in Marawi City during a five-month long siege by militants backed by foreign jihadists.
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