Ateneo bomb scare a hoax—police

PHOTO courtesy of The Guidon, Ateneo De Manila University Official Student Publication

MANILA, Philippines–The bomb scare that hit Ateneo de Manila University Wednesday noon causing disruption of classes and office work was a hoax, police said.

The Guidon, official publication of Ateneo, on its Twitter account quoted Chief Superintendent Richard Albano, Quezon City Police District chief, saying the alleged planted bombs inside the Quezon City campus of Ateneo on Katipunan Avenue turned out to be a sham as the police cleared the campus from any explosives.

Five teams were sent by the QCPD, as well as canine units, to conduct the bomb sweep inside the campus, including its dormitory and buildings of Loyola Schools.

It added the investigation is still ongoing on the identity and motive of the person who sent the threats to three Ateneo employees around 9 a.m. earlier Wednesday.

The text messages said: “MAY MGA BOMBA NA SASABOG SA ATENEO. PANIGURADONG MADAMING ESTUDYANTE AT EMPLEYADO ANG MAMATAY. 30 MINUTO MULA NGAYON.” (Bombs will explode in Ateneo. Surely many students and employees will die. 30 minutes from now).

Jose Ramon Villarin S.J., president of Ateneo, released a memorandum about four hours after the university administration ordered the evacuation of all students and staff inside the campus around 12 noon due to the threat.

“This morning, we were informed of a text message sent to our staff about a bomb threat on campus. I would like to inform everyone that the campus has been cleared already by PNP bomb squads,” he said in a statement.

“With the police authorities, we are now following some leads,” he added.

In a press briefing following the incident, Villarin said classes in the said Jesuit school will resume Thursday.

Assuring the Ateneo is still a “safe campus,” he vowed that the university will tighten its security by adding the number of guards manning the campus.

“We can now reopen the campus at 5 p.m. today for those who may wish to retrieve their personal belongings,” he said.

Villarin, however, added that there is still a need to strengthen the protocols of Ateneo with regard to the cases similar to the bomb scare.

In the memorandum, the Ateneo president added: “We would like to thank the entire University community for their cooperation during the evacuation process. And we thank the QC and National Capital Region police, the National Bureau of Investigation, and our University staff for their timely response to this threat.”

Originally posted at 07:27 pm | Wednesday, February 12, 2014

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