IN THE wake of Davao City blast that killed at least 14 people, the public should be alert and keep distances from crowded places while the investigation is ongoing, Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno said on Saturday.

“We encourage people to report any suspicious activities no matter how insignificant it may seem. We advise people across the nation to be vigilant and stay away [from] crowded places for the meantime,” Sueno said in a statement.

Sueno issued the statement following the Abu Sayyaf group’s (ASG) admission that it was behind the explosion in a Davao City night market on Friday night.

Sueno assured that the government remained on “high alert,” after the bandits claimed responsibility over the deadly blast in Davao City.

“We will continue to take orders from our commander-in-chief President Rodrigo Duterte. At this time, strict security measures are being implemented to avoid the repeat of the same incident,” Sueno said.

“We have sent out an advisory earlier alerting all concerned units to be on the lookout for possible diversionary tactics to be carried out by ASG. As we all know, the military is on the offensive against the said group so let us continue to remain on guard as well,” he added.

The blast came days after President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he had already ordered the military to have an all-out war against the Abu Sayyaf bandits, following the beheading of its 18-year-old Filipino hostage. (Sunnex)