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MANILA - A powerful bomb ripped through a section of the Philippine House of Representatives on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring at least six others including three lawmakers, officials said.
Troops went on heightened alert and security forces set up checkpoints around Manila as President Gloria Arroyo quickly ordered a national police probe into the blast at the sprawling complex north of the capital.
The explosion -- which occurred just after 8:00 pm (1200 GMT), shortly after most congressmen had left the premises -- destroyed part of the building's south lobby, House Speaker Jose de Venecia told local radio.
"There is a bomb that exploded in the south wing of the Batasan complex," De Venecia said, adding that he had left the building just 10 minutes before the explosion, which sent concrete flying across the parking lot.
The man killed was a driver for one of the three injured lawmakers. His body was found inside a parked vehicle that was hit by debris.
Among the wounded was Wahab Akbar, a congressman representing Basilan island, where troops are hunting down remnants of the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf extremist group. Akbar had received death threats in the past.
Arroyo immediately ordered national police chief Avelino Razon to "personally supervise the investigation, determine the cause of the explosion which rocked Batasan," her spokesman Ignacio Bunye told reporters.
Manila police chief Geary Barias quickly deployed a team to cordon off the building.
"We had not received any intelligence report," of a possible attack, he said.
"We would like to investigate further. There were two vehicles hit by the blast, and we are trying to recover them. We are investigating right now."
"We are trying to determine where the blast came from," he added.
De Venecia said he had ordered a "clean sweep" of the complex to ensure "there are no other bombs that are left behind."
"It was a very huge explosion," said congressman Joel Villanueva, adding that less than 50 of the House's 275 members were inside when the bomb exploded. "We are stunned."
Congressman Roilo Golez, a former national security chief, condemned the violence, but refused to speculate as to who might be behind it.
Last month, a blast tore through a shopping mall in Manila's financial district, leaving 11 people dead, more than 100 injured and sparking fears in the capital of further attacks.
Police initially thought a bomb was to blame, but later said the explosion was an industrial accident. - AFP/ir
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