Blasts in Philippine Capital, South Kill 10.

MANILA (Reuters) - Explosions in the business district of the Philippine capital and two southern cities on Monday killed at least 10 people and wounded nearly 130, with besieged Muslim rebels claiming two of the attacks.

The three blasts came inside an hour as people were leaving work or going out for a romantic dinner on Valentine’s Day.

“The ground was shaking,” said a man in the southern city of General Santos after four people were killed at a shopping mall. “The people were screaming and running in all directions.”

Security forces quickly blamed Abu Sayyaf, a small Muslim rebel group associated with al Qaeda, for the improvised bomb in General Santos and a grenade attack at a bus terminal in Davao.

In Manila, six people were killed in an explosion on a bus at a commuter terminal near the crowded Glorietta mall, major hotels and the nation’s financial and diplomatic core.

“There’s a strong possibility the attacks could all be linked,” said Norberto Gonzales, the national security adviser. “They have admitted two. We will know more later.”

A police intelligence official told Reuters investigators had not ruled out a role by Jemaah Islamiah, a regional network of militants linked to al Qaeda and the suspected fund-raiser for previous attacks by Abu Sayyaf and other Philippine groups.

Abu Solaiman, a senior Abu Sayyaf leader, said on radio his group carried out the attacks in General Santos and Davao to punish President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for a heavy military offensive on the southwestern island of Jolo, its stronghold.

“This is our Valentine’s gift for her,” Solaiman said.