Two arrested for bomb joke

CEBU, Philippines - A bomb is no laughing matter and joking about it especially in public is all the more a no-no.

A woman learned this lesson when she was arrested by authorities after joking that a bomb was inside her bag Tuesday night at Pier 4 in North Reclamation Area, Cebu City.

Charito Abao, 40, was arrested by port police after a fellow passenger complained about her for making bomb jokes. Abao was supposedly bound for her residence in Hubangon, Camiguin.

Senior Inspector Evan Epe, Intelligence and Investigation Section chief, said a passenger reported to them that Abao told them that a bomb was inside her bag.

“Bantay kay naay bomba diha,” Epe said, quoting the complainant.

Passengers, who were mostly women and elderly, felt uneasy after Abao cracked the joke and decided to report the suspect to the police.

Epe and his men responded immediately and asked Abao to accompany them to the office.

They later found out that there was actually no bomb inside her bag.

Instead of releasing her, Abao was forwarded to Waterfront Police Station.

She was subjected to an inquest proceeding yesterday and now faces a charge for violation of Presidential Decree 1727 or the Anti-Bomb Joke Law, under which individuals can be held criminally liable for causing undue alarm for making bomb threats.

Last Thursday, one Jimboy Feloche, 24, of Barangay Pausto, Baybay, Leyte, was arrested for uttering the same joke at Pier 3.

Feloche, who was bound for Leyte, was having his bag checked by X-ray scan as part of the procedure at the port when he said that the bag contained a bomb. He was allegedly drunk.

The suspect was released after posting bail.

According to Epe, the arrest of the two passengers serves as a lesson to the public to refrain from saying that they have a bomb in their possession, in jest or otherwise. The same joke is also not allowed in airports and bus terminals.  — /NSA (FREEMAN)