Davao City police chief warns senders of bomb threat messages

DAVAO CITY police chief Sr. Supt. Alexander C. Tagum has warned those who are sending text messages on supposed terror attacks and asked the public not to readily share them. The warning was issued after several text messages purporting a possible terror attack following two bombings in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat were shared through mobile phone messages as well as social media. Mr. Tagum said while authorities are not dismissing these threats, he assured the public that security measures are being implemented to thwart such attempts. “The intention of terrorism is precisely what is happening to most of our people, to scare them in a way that simply walking out in the streets is becoming impossible,” he said. Mr. Tagum said they are tracing those behind these text messages, even if these are intended as jokes. He cited Presidential Decree 1727, a law that prohibits such acts, which have a maximum penalty of five years in jail and P40,000 in fine. On Tuesday, a school in Matina received a bomb threat through a text message, but investigators did not find anything upon inspection. — Carmelito Q. Francisco