Teacher denies bomb threats that hit Cebu schools

CEBU CITY — A public high school teacher has surfaced at the police station in Ilagan town, Isabela to clear her name amid her alleged involvement in a series of hoax bomb threats that hit at least seven public schools and the Department of Education (DepEd)-Cebu City Division on Tuesday morning.

Karen Mae Calautit, 27, said she has nothing to do with the bomb scares.

“Hindi po akong masamang tao. Nananahimik po ako. Ang layo ng Cebu at sobrang busy ko para sa mga ganyang bagay. (I am not a bad person. I live peacefully. Cebu is far from our place and I am so busy for such things),” she said in a phone interview.

“God knows I can’t do that,” she added.

Calautit, a teacher for six years now, said she was surprised when her husband, a policeman assigned at the Police Regional Office in Cagayan Valley, called her while she was in the middle of the class on Tuesday.

“He told me that my cellphone number was used in a series of bomb hoax in Cebu City. I was really shocked. I can’t help but cry,” she said.

Calautit immediately went to the police station to clear her name.

She explained that she lost her cellphone about two months ago. “It was raining hard at that time. While riding a motorcycle, I did not notice that my phone which I placed in my pocket fell. It was only when I got home that I noticed that it was missing,” Calautit said.

She said she was not able to report the matter to the police.

Cebu City authorities traced the male caller who made the bomb hoax to a resident in Ilagan City, Isabela province.

The bomb threats in Cebu City on Tuesday led to the suspension of classes in all 58 public elementary schools and 54 high schools.

Based on the caller ID of Dep-Ed Cebu City, the cell phone number of the caller was 0935-1080039. When the number was entered on Facebook, it was traced to one Calautit.

Calautit expressed hope that the person behind the series of bomb hoax in Cebu City would be arrested. “I hope the real culprit will be identified and placed behind bars,” the mother of a nine-month-old boy said.

Senior Supt. Joel Doria, director of the Cebu City Police Office, said they are coordinating with the Anti-Cybercrime Unit to identify the real caller. CBB