Alleged Abu Sayyaf bomb threat hits UP Diliman

A spurious bomb threat allegedly issued by the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group triggered panic inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus in Quezon City on Thursday afternoon.

Chancellor Michael Tan, in an advisory posted on Facebook, said UP’s campus maintenance office hotline received a text message whose sender claimed they placed explosives inside the campus that would explode after 3:30 p.m.

The text message read: “Naglagay kami ng maga [sic] bomba na naka2lat sa UP Diliman. SDa2bog ang ito pagkatapos ng pagda2sl naming ng 3:30 PM.”

“The message claimed this was to take revenge (‘bilng gnti’) for attacks in Patikul, Sulu,” Tan said.

School authorities then declared the threat as a hoax.

“Our chief security officer and disaster response team see it as a hoax. Contrary to rumors, the administration has neither cancelled classes nor ordered evacuations as they would only encourage more pranksters,” he added.

“Nonetheless, we are not taking chances and have ordered our security forces to be on full alert for the next few days,” Tan said.

School personnel were also instructed to turn over suspicious-looking bags or packages to bomb disposal squads if needed.

“We will continue to be on alert with or without bomb threats given the tense situation with the ASG,” he said.