Explosion at DOJ, ‘suspected bomb’ in Senate before Marcos’ 5th Sona

INQUIRER FILES MANILA, Philippines — A homemade bomb detonated near the entrance of the Department of Justice early on Monday, officials said, hours before a suspected unexploded device was found near the Senate. The explosion just after midnight, which resulted in no casualties, and the discovery of the second suspected bomb came hours before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was due to give an annual State of the Nation (Sona) address. Article continues after this advertisement Philippine National Police chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. told reporters on Monday there was a “big possibility or probability that the two (incidents) are related”. READ: PNP probes ‘connected’ improvised explosive devices outside DOJ, Senate He said that, while police had contingency plans for “bomb threats, actual bombings and other (things)… something got past us and exploded in front of the Department of Justice”. It was not immediately clear how large the early morning blast had been. “We are still investigating, so we cannot give you details on how massive or small the explosion was,” Manila police spokesman Philipp Ines told AFP. Article continues after this advertisement Images posted by Philippine media showed what appeared to be a vehicle windshield cracked by the blast and a small amount of debris. READ: Sona 2026 Live Updates: President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address Article continues after this advertisement Police said in one report that the device at the Senate had been spotted on a street abutting the building just before 8:30am by a tow truck driver, who alerted security staff. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. Personnel trained in handling explosive ordnance removed material from the scene that included a blasting cap, clock and a jar containing a “brown powder” for testing. Regional police spokeswoman Hazel Asilo declined to estimate the size of the explosion the device could have produced. Marcos’s speech on Monday comes at a time of heightened political tensions, with Vice President Sara Duterte in the middle of an impeachment trial, while voters have also been roiled by a corruption scandal tied to bogus flood control projects. /dl Visit our Sona 2026 live coverage to stay updated with the latest #SONA2026 news and stories.