According to the first report released by the police, six were killed in the blast in Sitio Maganda.
Among those killed there were a woman and a ten-year-old child, four members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) and the driver of the vehicle where the bomb was placed.
Mr Saliman claimed the explosion occurred at 5.50am local time (10.50pm BST) in a Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) detachment, which is run by members of military and civilians.
It obliterated the vehicle and left a huge crater and fatalities were torn to pieces, as were farm animals nearby.
Among the severely injured, there are five scout rangers, including a young lieutenant.
They have all been moved to a military hospital, Camp Navarro, in Zamboanga City.
The Basilan Governor claimed he has received reports Abu Sayyaf, a jihadist militant and pirate group, was behind the incident.
In an interview with CNN, Mr Saliman said that if confirmed, this would be the biggest harm done to Basilan by the terror organisation.
When asked if anything similar happened in the province, the Governor said: “There were before, but for more than a year the situation in Basilan was going so well.”
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman claimed the suspect “detonated the bomb sensing danger he will be captured”.
The police and the Armed Forces are conducting an investigation.
However, local media reported the incident as the first case of suicide bombers in Lamitan.
The province is a known stronghold of the group Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
Lieutenant General Arnel dela Vega, WestMinCom commander, declared he is committed to “exhaust every available resource under his disposal” to identify the people behind the attack at “the soonest possible time”.
The attack comes less than a week after the Philippines President, Rodrigo Duterte, signed a law to give greater self-rule to Muslims living in the country’s south.
The law aspires to establish peace in that area where several rebel groups operate.
More to follow..