Philippine security officials speculated that the targets could include Arroyo, who did not spend Christmas Eve with her family in the cool mountain resort city as she had traditionally done in the past, or US diplomats, who have a consulate there, said the officer. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The police officer, however, said investigators failed to find other evidence that would back up the Abu Sayyaf member's claim. No bomb attack occurred in Baguio in December.
The Abu Sayyaf and its allies have been blamed for numerous kidnappings, beheadings and bombings, including a blast that triggered a fire that killed 116 people on a ferry in Manila Bay in February 2004.
The protest rally against Arroyo is set for Friday in Manila's financial district, Makati. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Arroyo and other officials over corruption allegations.
Political tensions have increased since the dramatic emergence last week of a witness, former government consultant Rodolfo Lozada Jr., who linked an ex-elections chief and Arroyo's husband to an allegedly overpriced $330 million broadband contract, which the president has since canceled.
Both men have denied the allegations, and Arroyo has not spoken directly about her husband's alleged involvement.
