Bomb scare at City Hall turns out a "bond" scare

CEBU - The ability of the city’s police force to respond to a bomb crisis was put to a test yesterday at no less than the Cebu City Hall.

This as two packages that were thought to contain bombs were found left unattended outside the building for about two hours.

Quick-thinking members of the Barangay Intelligence Network (BIN), who serve as guards at city hall called up the police.

A team from the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) arrived at shortly past noontime and immediately cordoned the area where the packages were left.

Instead of the people dispersing, the action instead drew crowds of onlookers including city hall personnel on their lunch break and passers by.

It turned out that the two packages did not contain bombs, but ten reams of bond paper to the relief of the bomb squad and the kibitzers.

Pablito Noval, a member of the BIN and the guard stationed at the entrance of City Hall said that he saw a white van parking at the space assigned to Councilor Edgardo Labella.

He said that he called the attention of the driver and told him to leave the space open because the councilor might arrive anytime.

The van moved out and stopped near the entrance of the vice mayor’s office and Noval said he saw the driver pulling out four packages, but the other man told the latter to hurry up then they left.

“Pero duda ko nabiya-an to ang duha ka packages. Unya wa man mi kalibutan ug unsa ang sulod ato kay mga duha ka oras na wa man lang gihapon gikuha. Aron makasiguro mi, nanawag na lang mi sa SWAT,” Noval said.

Filomena Arcana, head of the supply management division of the General Services Office, in a separate interview with The FREEMAN said that the bond papers were supposed to be delivered to their office.

Arcana said that they were also scared when they received reports that there was a bomb at City Hall.

She said that upon verification, she found out that the reams of bond paper were delivered by Sachem Enterprises owned by Paul Lim.

Arcana said that she already informed Lim about it and the owner reportedly was not aware of such delivery. Lim however reasoned out that the driver left the two packages while in a hurry to get out of the area fearing that he might be apprehended by the guard for parking in a space reserve for a city official.

The driver reportedly had instructions to deliver the paper to the GSO, but was not able to immediately do so as the personnel reportedly were attending mass at the seventh floor where their office is located.

The FREEMAN tried to call up Lim’s cellular phone last night to get his comment, but he did not pick it up.

Noval said the packages were left around 10:00 in the morning and they decided to call SWAT around 12 noon.

SPOI Dennis Sosmeña, SWAT assistant team leader said that they arrived at the scene at 12:30 in the afternoon and immediately tied a rope around the packages while curious onlookers gathered near the site.

After it was ascertained that the packages contained bond papers, they brought it to their office for record purposes and for the owner to claim it. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)