Bomb scare troubles PAL flight passengers from LA

MANILA — The Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group (PNP-Avsegroup) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 instructed an arriving Philippine Airlines (PAL) Boeing A777 from Los Angeles to stay at a cleared portion of the tarmac off Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 for a comprehensive inspection for a possible bomb.

Flight PR103 was about an hour away from Manila when it was reported to the pilot that a cabin crew member found an empty paper cup on the bottom of which was crawled "bomb was placed in the cargo and at seat 64E."

The paper cup was found at one of the aircraft's lavatories.

The pilot in-command, Captain Lawana Nakar, immediately radioed the PAL station and alerted as well the PNP-Avsegroup Special Operations Unit (SOU), which scrambled their bomb-sniffing dogs and the airport's emergency services to respond upon touchdown of the plane at around 4:59 a.m. Thursday.

"There was a bomb threat written on a paper cup inside the lavatory of PAL flight PR103," PNP-Avsegroup's Major Samuel Hojilla said in a text message.

Avsegroup found nothing. The flight had 333 passengers and an 18-person crew on board. The flight 103 was given the all-clear at around 7:10 a.m.

"It’s a hoax. We are looking for the passenger who made the apparent bomb joke and, if we caught whoever was responsible, he or she will be put in prison for five years and levied a P40,000 fine. Hojilla added.

Meanwhile, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Ed Monreal appealed to all international and domestic passengers to refrain from making bomb jokes because it can cause panic and much inconvenience among passengers. "What can you get out of that? It could land you in jail," Monreal said.