Philippine leader visits southern city after deadly blast

MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Sunday visited a southern city where two people were killed and 54 wounded in a suspected car bombing.
Aquino received a briefing from security authorities in Zamboanga City, 875 kilometres south of Manila, and visited the victims of Friday's explosion outside a bus terminal, presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma said.
"The government assures the public that the entire intelligence community, the military and the national police are undertaking strict surveillance and (are) focused on preventing any threat to the country's security," he said.
Investigators are looking at three groups that could have been behind the attack, said Colonel Haruld Cabunoc, a military spokesman.
They include the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, which opposes a peace deal signed between the government and the largest Muslim separatist rebel group in the country.
Investigators were also looking into the possibility that the attack could be politically motivated and aimed at discrediting the city's mayor ahead of elections in 2016, Cabunoc said. – dpa