MANILA – Rep. Roman Romulo, chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education, said law enforcement agencies need to develop their capabilities to swiftly apprehend pranksters who make phony bomb threats.
“We are tired and sick of these hoax bomb scares. Whether the threats are made via a telephone call, text message, electronic mail, social media or any other means online, the authorities have to acquire the know-how to quickly identify and catch the culprits,” Romulo said.
“These are no ordinary pranks. Bomb threats are disruptive, and can create significant anxiety, especially if they persist over a short period of time.”
Romulo also said the alarms tend to dissipate law enforcement resources. “The police, as well as school authorities, have no choice but to respond to every bomb scare, whether real or not,” he said.
Just recently, another false bomb threat hit the University of the Philippines in Quezon City. The threat was received by the chairman of the College of Business Administration student council via a text message.
“Mag-ingat sa bomb sa gusaling Virata. Oras na lang ang binibilang. Walang ligtas, estudyante man o guro,” warned the text message. The threat turned out to be a hoax after the police searches the school and did not find any explosive device.
At least four other Quezon City schools, the Miriam College, World Citi Colleges-World Citi Hospital, Claret School and Holy Family School and San Beda College in Manila also received false bomb threats.
Romulo said he favors harder punishment on individuals behind fictitious bomb threats, whether they target schools, offices, or vital installations such as airports.
“There is a pending bill in the House proposing to jack up the penalty to six to 12 years in prison, plus a fine of one million pesos to five million pesos,” he said.
The existing penalty for the crime of disseminating false information about an incendiary device threatening to kill people or destroy property is a maximum of five years in prison.
“But no matter how harsh, the punishment is meaningless if enforcement is weak and if the police are incapable of quickly processing all the data associated with the threats and pinning down the perpetrators,” Romulo said.
“Strong and highly responsive law enforcement is still the key to discouraging these hoax threats. The certainty of the capture remains our best deterrence.” (Mindanao Examiner)
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