Students of St. John Paul II College in Davao City vacate their school after receiving a bomb scare Wednesday afternoon, September 7. The police found no bomb in the campus. (Photo from Edith Isidro/Philippine Information Agency Davao)
DAVAO CITY — Classes at St. John Paul II College were disrupted for an hour after the school received a bomb threat sent through a text message Wednesday afternoon, September 7.
More than a thousand students proceeded to an area near a residential condominium complex along Ecoland Drive, school administration staff Martino Aldepolla said after he received the bomb threat sent through a text message past 2:00 pm. He said the message was from an unknown number.
The message read as follows: “Pag-amping mo dira. Nagaplano sila karong adlawa. Naa mubusikad na bomba sa inyong eskwelahan.” (Be careful. They are planning today, a bomb will explode in your school)
“I did not react because I was attending to a client. I referred the matter to the Assistant Vice President for Student Services Engr. Joselito Lim,” he told Davao Today in a telephone interview. He said they called the 911, which immediately responded and advised the school to temporarily vacate the area
“We asked our students to evacuate before the 911 personnel search the area. We were told that it was their standard operating procedure,” he said.
After the authorities cleared the school, the students, teachers and employees underwent a debriefing.
Dr. April Evangelista, the school’s Executive Vice President said they will locate the person responsible for the bomb threat.
Aldepolla said Dr. Evangelista announced that she will give P10,000 reward money for those who could identify the person who sent the text message.
“She will not treat this as a small issue because it suspended the school’s operation,” he said.
Aldepolla said he believes the suspect “did his research”. “He knew who to contact,” he said.
Aldepolla said this was not the first time that the school received a bomb threat.
Aldepolla said in February last year, they also received a threat over the phone.
Fifth school this week
Davao City Police Office spokesperson Senior Inspector Catherine Dela Rey said this is the fifth school to receive a bomb scare this week after the bombing incident killed at least 14 people in the Roxas Avenue night market here last Friday, September 2.
Four schools, University of Southeastern Philippines Obrero campus and University of Southeastern Philippines Mintal campus; Sta. Ana Elementary School and Calinan Central Elementary School received bomb threats on Tuesday, September 6.
Dela Rey said it was found out that there was a student in Sta. Ana Elementary school who shouted that there is a bomb that caused the panic.
“The same thing happened in Calinan, a child shouted that there is a bomb,” she said.
All schools were cleared of threats, said Dela Rey.
She urged the public to avoid saying “bomb jokes”, making prank calls and spreading rumors on bomb threats.
“It creates panic and chaos among the people. If there are panic and chaos, stampede is possible and accidents may happen,” she said.
She encouraged the public to remain calm and immediately vacate the area if they receive a bomb threat.
She said it is not advisable to go to parking areas and suggest the public to go to open spaces.
Dela Rey also said the person who receive the bomb threat should immediately report it to the 911 or to the hotline number of the Davao City Police Isumbong mo kay CD at 0925-823-3276.
Anti-bomb joke law
The Philippine National Police also reminded the public that there is a law penalizing bomb threats or any jokes on any device that can cause destruction.
The Presidential Decree No. 1727, issued in 1980, declares unlawful the “malicious dissemination of false information or the willful making of any threat concerning bombs, explosives, or any similar device or means of destruction.”
Dela Rey said violation of the law “is punishable by up to five years in jail, and will be fined not more than P40,000.” (davaotoday.com)
