Bomb joke delays flight of 70 lawmakers

MANILA, Philippines — A bomb joke from an 80-year-old woman delayed the flight of about 70 lawmakers from the House of Representatives by nearly two hours on Friday.

The lawmakers were on their way back to Manila after attending the government-sponsored Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair in Tacloban earlier on the same day.

Passengers – initially senior citizens and persons with disability as with protocol – were boarding Philippine Airlines flight PR 2988 at Daniel Romualdez Airport at around 7 p.m. when they were stopped by aviation authorities. Police were later seen in the area.

Members of the House were told to wait at the VIP Lounge. Other passengers, including the Batasan-based media covering the House, were later told to place their hand-carried bags on the floor where K-9 bomb-sniffing dogs checked for explosive materials.

The lawmakers on the flight were Reps. Stella Luz Quimbo (Marikina), Lorna Silverio (Bulacan), Marissa Magsino (OFW party-list), Benny Abante (Manila), Bonifacio Bosita and Rodge Gutierrez (1Rider party-list), Ernix Dionisio (Manila) and Paolo Ortega V (La Union), among others.

House staff later said the delay was caused by a female senior citizen who was being helped to her seat by a flight attendant carrying her bag. The senior citizen cracked a joke, saying her bag was heavy because there was a bomb inside.

As with standard operating procedure with airlines, the joke was taken seriously, resulting in the immediate halt to boarding procedures.

After inspection, passenger boarding resumed and the plane took off before 9 p.m. PAL flight PR 2988 landed safely at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at past 10 p.m.