Two more people in trouble for making bomb joke

CEBU, Philippines - Two more persons, one of whom was a minor, got into trouble for allegedly making bomb jokes in two malls in Cebu City the past two days.

On Wednesday evening, a 15- year-old student was invited for questioning by the security personnel and management of a mall after he told the security guard about the presence of a bomb inside his bag when there was actually none.

The management, however, eventually released the minor that day.

Past 10 a.m. yesterday, a woman was arrested for doing the same act inside a mall on Colon Street in Barangay Kalubihan.

Police Officer 2 Mario Nator, Carbon Police Station desk officer, said Jannelle Camacho, 34, of Barangay Pasil, Cebu City, was carrying her five-year-old child and about to submit her bag for inspection when she declared, “Naa nay bomba diha.”

Nator said while other customers did not panic hearing what Camacho said, she was brought to the police station over what she did. A neighbor of Camacho took custody of her child while she was being investigated.

In an interview, Camacho claimed she did not know that making a bomb joke is prohibited, and begged mall management to allow her release.

“Nagmahay gyud ko. Pasayloa intawon ko uy kay naa pa gyud intawon koy anak,” she said.

The mall, however, was determined to file criminal complaint against Camacho.

The minor and Camacho are the new additions to incidents of bomb jokes and arrests in a span of a week.

Last Monday, 19-year-old trisikad driver Carl John Sacal, a resident of Sambag 2, Cebu City joked that he was bringing a bomb with him. For that, the police filed against him a complaint for violating Presidential Decree 1727 after his arrest inside a mall on B. Rodriguez Street, Cebu City.

Sacal had with him a bluetooth speaker, which he reportedly showed to the security guard, saying that it was a bomb. He, however, denied uttering such, saying he knew cracking a bomb joke is prohibited.

Last week, a woman who also cracked joke about a bomb inside a department store in Cebu City is likewise facing a criminal complaint, and is still under police custody pending resolution by the prosecutor’s office, which would determine if there is reasonable ground to hold a trial against her.

PD 1727 prohibits the malicious dissemination of false information or making threats about presence of bombs, explosives, and incendiary devices. It, however, requires that the act must be willful and malicious.

Verbal or written communication that conveys false information about the presence of bombs or similar devices is punishable upon conviction with imprisonment of up to five years and/or a fine of up to P40,000.

The offense is non-bailable which means that a suspect could not post any bond for her temporary freedom. (FREEMAN)