Bomb-sniffing dog makes mistake, causes scare in QC

MANILA, Philippines - A bomb-sniffing dog sat thrice beside a bag left in a building in Eastwood, Quezon City, triggering a bomb scare  the latest in a series of threats  yesterday morning.

The bag contained powder and other toiletries, authorities said.

Security guards reasoned it could be that the dog was sensitive to the chemicals inside the bag, but Inspector Noel Sublay said a K9 dog should be sensitive to a only few chemicals, such as those used in explosive devices.

Sublay heads the Explosives and Ordnance Division of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), which sent a team to the site after the call from security guards from Mega Force, which provides security to the 1800 Building in Eastwood City.

QCPD director Senior Superintendent Richard Albano said the black backpack was found in the office occupied by IBM employees at around 7 a.m.

When the K9 dog was sent there, the Labrador sat thrice beside the bag, causing panic among the building’s occupants.

“We told the security provider of the building they should have used another dog to verify,” Sublay said, adding that the Labrador may have been tired or needed more training.

Cops probe bomb threats

Police are looking into the series of bomb threats in Metro Manila, but ruled out the possibility that they are connected, Senior Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac said yesterday.

National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Leonardo Espina has created a team to track the pranksters.

Police officers have so far received and acted on four bomb threats in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City, UP-Ayala Technohub in Quezon City, Nangka Elementary School in Marikina, and Eastwood in Quezon City.

 â€œAll threats turned out to be hoax. No bomb was recovered,” Sindac said. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe