Bomb scares hit Manila schools

Several schools at the university belt near Malacañang in Manila received bomb scares yesterday, three days after the deadly Friday night bombing in Davao City.

The College of the Holy Spirit Manila – the school closest to Malacañang’s gates – suspended classes due to security reasons, although no further details were officially released by the institution.

Classes will resume at the college today.

Radio reports also quoted Manila Police District (MPD) Station 8 commander Senior Superintendent Olive Sagaysay as saying that Centro Escolar University ( CEU), San Beda College, Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology also received bomb threats, with EARIST receiving it first on Sunday night.

Members of the MPD’s Explosives and Ordnance Division swept through the schools and declared them safe at around 9 a.m.

At around 3 p.m., a caller informed Emilio Aguinaldo College that there was a bomb in a backpack left at the school gates.

The bag contained a thesis paper and some personal belongings. ‘Abu Raja’ A post on radio station

dzMM’s social media account showed a screenshot of a Facebook message from a certain “Abu Raja,” who claimed to be a member of the extremist group Abu Sayyaf.

He said he would admit to President Duterte that the group “planted bombs at Malacañang.” He identified CEU and San Beda as target areas.

The message added that the bombs planted at “four schools inside Malacañang” would detonate at 8 a.m.

Despite the threat, classes at the three schools went on yesterday.

Senior Inspector Leo de Guzman, commander of the Mendiola police community precinct, confirmed the threat, which was sent to “a group chat on Facebook.”

Superintendent Marissa Bruno, MPD spokesperson, said EARIST and CEU received separate threats.

An EARIST faculty member notified the school principal after receiving a text message claiming a bomb would explode at around 7:14 p.m. Sunday, Bruno said.

Pattern?

The bomb scares follow a similar incident at the University of the Philippines ( UP) in Diliman, which received on Thursday a text message claiming that bombs will explode in the campus as retribution to the military offensive against the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.

The threat turned out to be a hoax following a security sweep in the campus, according to UP Diliman chancellor Michael Tan.

In a statement on Sunday, Tan denied that the university received new threats following the Davao blast. However, he reiterated that the university is on alert and is taking extra precautions with or without a bomb threat.

“It is not easy given the size of the campus and our many portals so we ask for your cooperation as we require vehicle stickers, IDs and bag inspections,” said Tan.

The university official called for vigilance and calm as the country recovers from the Davao attack.

“Let us not forget that the terrorists’ bombings are mainly intended to paralyze society through fear. Rumors can be as bad as the bombs in creating that atmosphere of fear,” he said.