Bomb threat sparks near-riot in PUP

Students clashed with the security personnel of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) yesterday morning, when school authorities closed the gates due to an alleged bomb threat and prevented them from attending a forum where national broadband network project scandal star witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. was the main speaker.

Lozada, the former president of the Philippine Forest Corp. (PFC), was expected to arrive at the PUP’s Mabini campus at around 10 a.m.

It was around this time that the state university cancelled classes for the day due to an alleged bomb threat. The security personnel closed the main gate and this angered the students, who forced the gate open.

The commotion continued for about 20 minutes.

Security personnel Jay Telan said their decision to close the gate was part of their standard operating procedure whenever there was a bomb threat.

A team from the Manila Police District-Explosive Ordnance Division (MPD-EOD) arrived at around 11 a.m. and a bomb-sniffing dog inspected the area. One of the students even tried to prevent the police vehicle from entering the PUP campus.

Some minutes later, the bomb squad declared that no bomb was found.

Lozada finally arrived at around 11:35 a.m. The students cheered and showered yellow confetti on him. They also unfurled banners expressing their support for him and demanding President Arroyo’s resignation.

In his five-minute speech, Lozada told the thousands of students that he would finish what he started.

When he asked the crowd if they would join him at the interfaith rally in Makati today, they answered in the affirmative.

Lozada was unable to deliver a long speech because of problems with the audio system, compounded by students stepping on the microphone cable.