Pranksters in series of Bulacan bomb hoax identified

CITY OF MALOLOS — The police now have the names of students whom investigators believe were behind a series of bomb hoaxes that disrupted the midterm examinations of the Bulacan State University (BSU) on October 1 and 5, Mayor Christian Natividad revealed Wednesday.

It was not clear, however, whether the same students sent the bomb threats transmitted via text messages to two high schools in this city and in Guiguinto town on October 9.

The text warnings were sent to the Marcelo H. Del Pilar National High School as well as the Guiguinto National Vocational High School. The vocational school, which is located at the back of the Guiguinto municipal building, is scheduled to hold examinations on October 11, according to the Guiguinto town government.

All these schools were searched by the police, who found no trace of any type of explosives, said Bulacan police director Sr. Supt. Chito Bersaluna.

Malolos police chief Supt. Heryl Bruno said the identities of the suspects remain confidential pending completion of the ongoing forensic investigation.

If convicted, each of the students behind the pranks face a five-year jail term and a P40,000-fine as prescribed by Presidential Decree No. 1727, Bruno said. /kga