Manila on alert after bombings

The blasts injured more than 90 people

Security forces in the Philippines have been placed on high alert following a series of bombings in the capital Manila that killed at least 14 people and injured more than 90.

Police forces in the capital were on Sunday under orders to "maximise visibility" at shopping malls, churches and other crowded places, according to city police commander Chief Superintendent Avelino Razon.

Manila blasts

11 killed and 60 injured at crowded railway station

Passenger bus explodes at terminal in northern suburb of Quezon city, killing one and injuring 17

Jeep explodes at Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Bomb explodes in a park outside US embassy, injuring nine

Bomb found near luxury hotel in commercial district kills two bomb experts

A police spokesman said about 15,000 policemen were deployed in the metropolis of 10.5 million people.

President Joseph Estrada has denounced Saturday's blasts as "barbaric", blaming them on "desperate and cowardly people" whose only aim was to advance a political agenda.

No group has said it carried out the attack, but suspicion has fallen on Muslim separatist groups.

Most of the casualties were the result of a blast that tore through a crowded train as it pulled into a station. Eyewitnesses spoke of a scene of carnage.

"We are going to use the full force of the law to suppress this violence," the president said on national television.

"Preventive measures have been put in place to ensure public safety, avoid further damage to property and safeguard public utilities," he added.

No martial law

Mr Estrada is fighting for his political life and some opposition politicians had expressed fears that he could use the bombings to declare a state of emergency or impose martial law.

President Estrada has appealed for calm

A government spokesman, Michael Toledo, denied the explosions were orchestrated by the president's supporters to deflect attention from his impeachment trial in the Senate.

Mr Estrada's national security adviser, Alexander Aguirre, said on Sunday that those behind the attacks were most likely seeking to force the beleaguered president to resign.

Mr Aguirre told DZRH radio that the authorities were "not discounting" the hand of guerrillas of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who were also blamed for a series of shopping mall explosions in Manila in May.

However he said the MILF campaign had since "subsided" after an intense military campaign against the separatists on the island of Mindanao.

The latest explosions came a day after Manila-area police were put on alert for holiday bombing attacks by the Muslim separatist group Abu Sayyaf.

Medical services were flooded with casualties

On Thursday, police arrested Abu Sayyaf spokesman Hector Janjalani in Manila. They said he had several grenades and sketches of potential targets in the city.

Following the bombings the police have said that they are following certain leads, but they are giving no details and being cautious about apportioning blame at this stage.

One witness has been taken in for questioning, but it is not clear whether this person is a suspect.

The five blasts all occurred around noon (0400 GMT) on Saturday.

Appealing for calm, President Estrada has promised a full investigation of the attacks.

"I have ordered the Philippine national police to immediately undertake an investigation that will lead to the immediate arrest of the culprits," he said.

The attacks come as Filipinos are already grappling with political instability caused by President Estrada's impeachment trial.

The trial began in December and is to resume on 2 January after a holiday recess.