The Philippine National Police bomb squad and Philippine Coast Guard K9 Force arrive at the Supreme Court in Manila for the “unannounced fire and bomb threat evacuation drill” on Thursday, August 29, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Luisa Cabato)
MANILA, Philippines — The operations of the Supreme Court (SC) and Court of Appeals (CA) in Manila were halted on Thursday afternoon for the conduct of an “unannounced fire and bomb threat evacuation drill.”
Padre Faura Street was temporarily closed to traffic, and members of the Philippine National Police bomb squad and Philippine Coast Guard K9 Force arrived at the scene before 3 p.m.
Employees also started leaving the premises shortly after.
It was initially unclear what caused the arrival of authorities and evacuation of employees. In a Viber message sent to reporters, SC spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting said the activity was just a drill.
“The Acting Chief Justice, with the approval of the en banc, conducted an unannounced fire and bomb threat evacuation drill at the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals today, August 29, 2024, at around 2:45 pm,” she said.
Padre Faura Street was reopened to traffic as of 3:30 p.m.