At least 11 people were killed and more than 70 were wounded in a series of near-simultaneous explosions that rocked Manila on Saturday, police said.
The first blast tore through a coach at an overhead railway station north of Manila, instantly killing four people and wounding about 47 others. Another five died of their injuries in hospital.
Minutes later an explosion rocked a plaza across from the US embassy, wounding about nine people.
A passenger bus then exploded in a northern suburb, killing one person and wounding 17 people, many of whom were in critical condition.
A fourth blast hit a cargo handling facility at Manila's international airport. No one was reported injured in that incident.
Manila police director Chief Superintendent Edgardo Aglipay said ordnance experts also discovered a bomb at a gasoline station outside a hotel in the financial district of Makati. A policeman was killed when the bomb went off while they were trying to defuse the device.
No one has claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks, which came as the Philippines celebrated a national holiday commemorating the martyrdom of its national hero.
Security forces have been on "maximum alert" since Wednesday, when police detained two members of the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf who were allegedly plotting to launch a bombing spree.
Police said they recovered hand grenades and explosives from Abu Sayyaf members Hector Janjalani and Alsheed Alling Albani and sketches of probable targets.
"We have been discussing how to properly secure Manila after the arrest of Janjalani, and I would like to say it is not yet clear if they are the ones behind this because we are still investigating," Aglipay said.
"We are already on maximum alert," he added.
An AFP photographer saw rescuers trying to pull several bloodied passengers out of one of the coaches. Severed body parts were strewn on the station's floor.
A witness who identified herself only as Marivic said: "The train was approaching and we were about to board when it exploded.
"The explosion came from the train, it was destroyed."
Light rail transit administrator Antonio San Luis said operations were immediately suspended while bomb squads scoured other coaches for explosives.
At the Plaza Ferguson near the US embassy, the blast left a huge crater near a bench. The impact also shattered glass panes and walls of nearby establishments.
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado asked the public to "avoid speculation" and let police do their investigation. "It is important that we base our conclusion on evidence on hand," he said.
He said the military does not have "an unusual reaction" to the series of explosions, stressing that police "can take care of it."
However he said troops are ready to assist if asked. "We will do whatever is necessary," Mercado told AFP. "We condemn these acts of terrorism."
He said the "dastardly acts are meant to cause panic and we should not allow the terrorists to have the pleasure of it."
US embassy acting spokesman Lonnie Kelly said: "We are all surprised, but we have full faith in the police."
"Probably the embassy is not the target," he said, stressing that the explosions were scattered across Manila -- MANILA (AFP)
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