MANILA, Philippines — A day after a Korean diner was rocked by a grenade explosion, four restaurants in Quezon City were hit with bomb threats in a span of nine hours on Friday.
Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), said they are investigating if the threats came from just one person or group.
“This could just be a gimmick by irresponsible people,” he said over the phone.
The first incident was at Conti’s bakeshop in Barangay Blue Ridge at around 9:10 a.m. A man called the establishment to demand money and threatened to bomb the place.
“Kailangan ko ng financial assistance bago umuwi ng Mindanao at marami na kaming pinasabog (I need financial assistance before going home to Mindanao and we have done many bombings),” a police report quoted the suspect as saying.
Another bomb scare occurred an hour later. The owner of Empacho restaurant in Barangay Sacred Heart received the same threat from a male caller.
The Half Saints restaurant in Barangay South Triangle also received a bomb threat at around 4 p.m., this time from a man who identified himself as Commander Jaguar Sultan, who called the establishment and demanded P50,000.
The last was at Dapo restaurant, also in Barangay South Triangle where a man called at around 6:20 p.m. and asked for P50,000 or the establishment will be bombed.
Capt. Noel Sublay, commander of the Quezon City Police District’s Explosive and Ordnance Division, said no improvised explosive devices were found in all four establishments.
Sublay is not discounting that the four incidents were the handiwork of just one person or group.
“It’s possible because all the callers were demanding money,” he said in a phone interview.
Sublay said it is too early to tell if the four incidents are related to the grenade explosion at the Chung Mi Rae restaurant on Thursday.
“That establishment did not receive a threat prior to the explosion,” he said.