PhotoMANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of a “state of lawlessness” in the Philippines after a blast that left at least 14 dead raised fears on Saturday that it could lead to a curtailment of basic freedoms. Mr. Duterte was Davao’s mayor for nearly two decades before becoming president. Presidential aides said they suspected that Abu Sayyaf militants were retaliating for an intensified military offensive against the group. Franklin M. Drilon, the president pro tempore of the Senate, advised the president to be “prudent,” saying such a declaration would affect the business climate. “I worry that the president might play to the script of the perpetrators of the violence,” Ms. Hontiveros said.

Source: New York Times September 03, 2016 15:25 UTC