No laughing matter

Dear Editor,

Not two months since we welcomed the New Year, the country has been under some sort of plague as natural and man-made disasters devastated parts of the Philippines which saw thousands of families displaced and over hundreds of lives lost.

Take a look: Heavy rains in Mindanao have displaced families, the landslide at Maco town in Davao de Oro has already resulted in 90 deaths, the El Niño phenomenon continues to ravage some provinces, and the tragedy last Ash Wednesday, where one was killed when a church’s balcony collapsed.

This has led the national government to spread its resources thin to ensure that help will be given to those who are in need as it scrambles to assist any way it can. But amid all this, there is one issue that needs to be looked at, as it concerns the safety of the public.

Just recently, there were bomb threats against several government agencies which Malacañang revealed, and these reports are having a chilling effect on the public, if not the government itself.

The Palace said that the Department of Information and Communications Technology is working with the Japanese government to unmask those behind the bomb threats.

According to the Palace, DICT’s Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center will conduct the probe after bomb threats originating in Japan were sent to at least six government departments and local government units.

In particular, the Department of Education head office in Quezon City, the local government of Iba in Zambales province, and the division office of the Department of Education in Bataan received bomb threats purportedly from a certain Takahiro Karasawa.

It added that last year, similar bomb threats were made against government agencies, even as the CICC said the affected government agencies were advised to practice their emergency evacuation plans and preparations.

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said he has ordered a thorough investigation into the identity of the Japanese.

Now, this may seem to be far-fetched and it could be passed off as an elaborate prank made to sow discord, panic and mayhem, or it could be that it was just a prank to illicit a little chuckle.

But we’re afraid this is no laughing matter, as it can affect how government agencies work to provide services since government employees will always be on their toes should another bomb threat surface.

These kinds of threats to the country should be tackled with seriousness as they can bring government agencies to a halt if they continue.

We just hope that the agencies concerned can get to the bottom of this and prosecute those who will be found guilty of making these bomb threats.