Philippines Investigates Suspected Bomb Near Senate Building

JAKARTA - The Philippine security apparatus found an object suspected of being an improvised explosive device (IED) near the Philippine Senate building in Pasay ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s state of the nation address.

ABS-CBN News reported that the Senate Special Security Unit found the suspicious object during a routine inspection at around 08.00 local time.

The unit then asked for help from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Pasay Police, who then managed to tame the object suspected of being an IED.

Authorities are currently investigating the incident.

Earlier on the same day, an explosion suspected to have come from an IED also occurred near the entrance of the Philippine Department of Justice in Manila.

The Philippine Ministry of Justice stated that there were no casualties or injuries in the incident.

The Philippine National Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit was deployed to the site to conduct a technical inspection.

"The investigation is still ongoing to determine the source, type, and conditions behind the explosion," the ministry said, adding that the situation had been brought under control and the Justice Department complex remained in a safe condition.

According to the Philippine News Agency, around 20,000 police personnel are scheduled to be deployed to maintain security and order during the delivery of the fifth state of the nation address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Quezon City.