No end to Metro bomb threats

There has been no rest for police bomb experts as reports of planted explosives in government buildings, commercial establishments and public transport continued yesterday. Fortunately, all the threats have turned out to be negative.

At least 22 bomb threats have been received by government agencies and business establishments in Quezon city since Saturday, a day after a bomb exploded inside a bus in Balintawak.

At a meeting called by Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. yesterday, Central Police District (CPD) chief Senior Supt. Napoleon Castro said they continue to receive reports that have turned out to be false alarms.

Castro said most of the calls were made by pranksters but members of the CPD-Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team still had to respond and search the areas where the bombs were supposedly planted.

The latest to fall victim to bomb threats were the Heart Center of the Philippines and Civil Service Commission (CSC) in Quezon City yesterday.

Castro said the Heart Center along East Avenue, received a call at around 8:30 a.m. with the caller claiming that a bomb would explode anytime.

The SWAT also rushed to the CSC building in Batasan Hills after receiving a call at noon.

"Both were prank calls, but even so we still had to act and search the building or office," Castro said

He said the offices of government network PTV 4 and the Quezon City Hall have also received bomb threats.

In Manila, the Philippine Postal Office in Liwasang Bonifacio and the College of St. Benilde on Taft Avenue received calls about planted explosives. Both turned out to be hoaxes.

Elements of the Western Police District-Explosives and Ordnance Division responded to the Philpost call, which claimed a bomb would explode at 9:35 a.m. Hours after searching the building, employees were asked to go back to work.

As the EOD team was heading back to the WPD headquarters on UN Avenue, they were directed to proceed to St. Benilde across De La Salle University. The result of the search was the same.

At the Manila City Hall, security was tightened by closing two entrances. Last Friday the Office of the Clerk of Court of the Manila Regional Trial Court on the fifth floor of city hall received a bomb threat.

In Parañaque City, hundreds of city hall and trial court employees were evacuated as police and two K-9 bomb sniffing dogs scoured the building for explosives. None were found.

Court employee Arlene Valera earlier received a call from an unidentified man at around 8:30 a.m., warning that bombs have been planted inside three court offices. The courts and city hall offices share a four-storey, U-shaped building located along San Antonio Avenue, Barangay San Antonio.

Around 30 policemen from the SWAT and EOD and PCP 4 officers conducted a search of the court offices and city hall, including the office of Mayor Joey Marquez. The mayor’s office is located on the second floor of the building.

Two bomb-sniffing dogs were also borrowed from the Regional Special Action Force (RSAF) at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig to help find the bombs allegedly planted.

Meanwhile, Metro police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco said despite the pranks, he has ordered district directors and bomb disposal units to respond to all bomb threats.

"The police force cannot take any call lightly," Velasco said. "Ignoring one call could prove fatal."

He appealed to pranksters to desist from making calls.

"There is nothing funny about threatening the lives of people," Velasco said. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Nikko Dizon, Non Alquitran