Bomb scare hits 3rd school in 1 month

MANILA, Philippines—Another school in Metro Manila received a bomb threat sent through text at 9 a.m. Thursday, the third campus to be disrupted this month.

Officials of St. Paul College (SPC) in Pasig City, however, took no chances and immediately sent students home.

Following a thorough check of the buildings on campus, the police declared the school free of any bombs at 2:50 p.m.

The bomb scare at SPC took place a day after the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila reported a bomb threat relayed through a text message.

According to the message sender, several bombs had been placed in some buildings and were set to go off between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.

On Feb. 12, classes were also suspended at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City after three employees received a text message about bombs being planted on the Loyola Heights campus. The police were called in after everyone on site was sent home while a check of the buildings turned up nothing.

Senior Supt. Mario Rariza, Pasig police chief, said that in SPC’s case, the school received a bomb threat at 9 a.m.

The police immediately deployed members of the Explosives and Ordnance Division and Special Weapons and Tactics group from the Eastern Police District (EPD) to the area.

Nun gets text message

Senior Supt. Antonio Gumiran, officer in charge of the EPD which covers the cities of Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina and San Juan, said the text was received by a nun at the school.

She immediately notified school authorities who ordered the suspension of classes.

“Good morning, parents. For the safety of everyone, we are sending your daughters home because of a threat received from an anonymous texter,” a text advisory to parents from the school said.

The text advisory went on to say that security guards had already searched the school grounds and found nothing suspicious.

“But we [will] still dismiss your daughters so they are all safe. We would like to ask for your prudence in attending to this matter,” it added.