Flight passenger jailed for ‘bomb’ joke

A passenger of a Bacolod City-bound Cebu Pacific Air flight spent the night in jail after making a joke that caused the delay of Flight 5J-749 last Wednesday.

Edgardo Gelangalla boarded the flight at around 4:20 p.m. and was putting his bags in the plane’s overhead compartment with the help of flight attendant Manuel Abad when he made a joke about being careful with his bags because it contained a bomb.

Instead of finding the joke funny, the flight attendant reported the remark to his supervisor — the standard operating procedure for flight attendants when hearing remarks about bombs and explosives during flights.

Abad’s supervisor then contacted the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).

The Office of the Assistant General Manager for Security and Emergency Services quickly dispatched security officers to investigate.

During the investigation, passengers of the flight were asked to disembark from the plane as members of the PNP-Aviation Security Group scoured the entire plane for explosives.

After a thorough search of Gelangalla’s bag and the entire aircraft, it was ascertained that the passenger only made a joke.

After getting security clearance, the aircraft was allowed to proceed with its flight to Bacolod City at 5:30 p.m., minus Gelangalla.

He was off-loaded from the flight and was brought by police to the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office for the possible filing of appropriate charges against him.

He was released Wednesday morning after no charges were filed against him by the Cebu Pacific management.

Retired Brig. Gen. Angel Atutubo, MIAA AGM for security and emergency services, said remarks about bombs and explosives are discouraged at transportation facilities, especially airport passenger terminals, where these are taken seriously by security authorities.

"We have signages posted in many areas at the airport warning passengers about making unnecessary remarks about bombs. They should take these warnings seriously because we take them seriously," Atutubo told The Star.

Presidential Decree 1727 prohibits anyone from making bomb threats even in jest, he said.