Bomb threat disrupts hearings in Antipolo courts
SAN PEDRO CITY – Work and court hearings were suspended Tuesday morning as authorities inspected the Hall of Justice in Antipolo City, Rizal following a bomb threat.
As of 11 a.m., bomb experts did not find any explosive after the initial search and paneling, but authorities would conduct another round of inspection before declaring the area clear, said city police chief Supt. Villafor Bannawagan in a phone interview.
Bannawagan said that around 9 a.m., judges Jennifer de Lumen and Leila Suarez of trial court branches 73 and 74, as well as prosecutor Mario de Luna, received a text message about a bomb supposedly placed inside the hall of justice.
The message read: “BABALA BINABALAK NG MASASAMANG ELEMENTO ANG PAGPASOK NG BOMBA SA HALL OF JUSTICE NG ANTIPOLO NGAYONG ORAS NA ITO, MAARING NAIPASOK O PAPASOK PA LANG! MAGING ALERTO PO TAYO HUWAG IPAGSAWALANG BAHALA!”
The message was sent from a single mobile phone number, the police said.
Bannawagan said a promulgation on a murder case handled by branch 73 was scheduled this afternoon, but he said they were still trying to figure out if the threat had anything to do with it.
Article continues after this advertisementEarlier, incidents of bombing hit Sultan Kudarat and Masbate provinces, leaving a number of civilians injured or dead.
