Palace says bomb plot report 'raw, unverified'

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang today said that the intelligence report about a top Asian terror suspect is planning to launch bomb attacks in metro Manila is raw and unconfirmed.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement that the report is "just one of many such reports received by the government on a regular basis."

"The intelligence report indicating possible terror activity on June 12 was raw and unconfirmed..." Lacierda said.

However, he said that the government is not taking the intelligence report lightly. He said the Philippines' intelligence community has taken measures to validate it "preferring to err on the side of caution."

He said that the heightened alert status declared by the police in Metro Manila is a preventive measure.

"The safety of our citizens remains among the foremost concerns of the government," Lacierda said.

The police heightened its alert in the metropolis a day after its chief, Director General Raul Bacalzo, downplayed the US government's renewed travel advisory for the Philippines due to the alleged possibility of terror attacks in Mindanao and in Metro Manila.

Military and police intelligence have confirmed an intelligence report seen by The Associated Press, which says a Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, a long-wanted terror suspect believed to be hiding in the Mindanao, and the Abu Sayyaf deployed a few militants to bomb still-unspecified targets in Metro Manila.

One of two security officials who have seen the report said one date mentioned for the possible bombings was June 12, when the country celebrated its Independence Day, but no attack happened. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic.