TACLOBAN CITY—Panic broke out on Monday morning after a suspicious box was reported to contain a bomb — but it turned out to be hoax.
The box, which turned out to contain a mobile phone with a speaker attached to it, was found inside a police tent located along Rizal Street, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city.
Chief Inspector Rudy Conejo, Jr., police chief of Tacloban police station II, said that one of the assigned policemen in the area called up their station around 6 p.m., claiming that the box may contain a bomb.
He said they immediately called up the Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas (PRO-8) office based in Palo and asked for a team from explosives and ordnance and disposal (EOD) to check on the box containing the suspicious item.
He said the team, which arrived in the scene around 7 a.m., cordoned the area.
“The team used a device to ignite the suspicious item. (It was) later discovered to only contain a mobile phone with a speaker,” Conejo said.
The item was set off right in the area by the EOD team using their own improvised explosive device which caused a minor explosive sound.
“This could be the reason why some people thought the box contain a bomb,” Conejo explained.
“There was no bomb found inside the box. We assure our people in the city that we are safe and secure,” the police officer added.
He, however, appealed to the public, especially those who were using social media to be “careful and responsible” for what they post.
“This will only cause confusion and panic among our people. If they found something suspicious, please call our hotline (09176317752) or report it to our office,” Conejo added. RAM/rga
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