Passenger nabbed for bomb joke

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino bound for Singapore has been arrested for making a bomb joke at the Davao International Airport.

The 42-year-old male passenger was about to check in last Friday when he was asked by an airline personnel about the contents of his luggage, according to Karen Villanda, spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

The passenger allegedly told the airline personnel that his luggage did not contain any fragile item, and joked that it contained a bomb. He quickly apologized for the joke.

A customer service agent alerted the aviation security police, which arrested the passenger for violation of Presidential Decree (PD) 1727 or the Anti-Bomb Joke Law.

The passenger was taken to a hospital for medical examination before he was detained at the Sasa police station.

Police said charges of violation of the Anti-Bomb Joke Law would be filed against the passenger.

Villanda reminded the public that violators of PD 1727 would face imprisonment of not more than five years, or a fine of up to P40,000.