Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 6) — The Philippine National Police (PNP) called on the public to think twice before sharing unverified information after it received seven false reports of bomb threats in just one day.
PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said six of these threats sent via email on Tuesday were for government offices in Metro Manila.
These include the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and the National Museum.
One of the bomb threats was directed at Pangil Elementary School in Pangil, Laguna. Classes and government transactions in the municipality were canceled as a result.
“Mahigpit pong ipinagbabawal ‘yan sa ilalim ng batas. At maaari kayong makulong nang hindi bababa po sa limang taon, at may multa pa po na ₱40,000,” said Fajardo.
[Translation: Our law strictly prohibits such an act. You can actually be jailed for up to five years and fined with ₱40,000.]
“On the part of the PNP, lahat po ng mga report na ‘yan ay hindi natin ginagawang biro,\” she also said. \”Whether it is true or not, ‘yung ating protocol in managing mga report relating to bomb threats ay inaaksyunan agad.\”
[Translation: On the part of the PNP, we don’t take these reports lightly. Whether it is true or not, we immediately take action as part of our protocol when it comes to managing reports related to bomb threats.]
The slew of bomb threats came after an explosion at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City where four people were killed and dozens injured.
Some mallgoers who spoke to CNN Philippines expressed worries over visiting public places due to security threats.
Abegail Nebreja said she would rather stay home to keep herself safe, but she needs to go out to make a living.
“Sa ngayon po kasi wala po akong choice kundi kailangan pumasok pa rin po since ‘yung salary po kasi ‘yun ‘yung main source of living ko,\” she said. \”So kailangan ko lang ng dobleng ingat talaga.”
[Translation: I don’t have choice but to still go to my work because I rely on my salary as my main source of living. So I just need to be extra careful nowadays.]
Police assured the public that they continue to beef up security across the country even after the election period, including maintaining random checkpoints.
“Kahit heightened alert lamang po particularly dito sa NCR po ay mayroon po tayong sufficient number of personnel na nagbabantay nga po diyan sa mga places of worship, diyan po sa ating mga malls, sa ating mga terminal, sa ating mga tindahan,” Fajardo said.
[Translation: Even though we are just on heightened alert level here on NCR, we have sufficient personnel deployed in places of worship, malls, terminals, and other establishments.]
President Bongbong Marcos earlier said additional security personnel were being deployed in vulnerable communities and those affected by the Marawi bombing.
