MANILA, Philippines - Well-wishers waiting at the parking lot at A of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 went into panic when they saw a small yellow box about 5”X5”X3” with markings “Don’t touch, hehehe” and a small word “bomb” written placed in a plant box near the flag pole yesterday morning.
Some of the well-wishers reported what they saw to the office of Angel Atutubo, assistant general manager for security and emergency services and dispatched a team of K-9 operatives headed by airport police Corporals Aldree Manuel and Vicente Jose Resurreccion with“Cher and Dragon” (bomb sniffing dogs) who were then patrolling within the vicinity of the airport complex around 10:45 a.m.
Manuel and Resurreccion with (Cher and Dragon) responded and scanned the yellow box and other unattended belongings left by the well-wishers but fortunately the dogs did not respond which means there was no trace of explosives.
The two then slowly opened the box and found out nothing was inside,” just an empty box.” The two brought the yellow box to Atutubo for recording. Atutubo turned over the box to the PNP Aviation Security Group based at NAIA for more inspection and tracing.
Atutubo appealed to the public who wanted to be at the airport to welcome their loved ones not to abandon any belongings so as not to create panic among people inside the parking areas or in any place. He warned anew the public while at the airport vicinity not to create “Bomb Joke” which is punishable by five years of imprisonment or P40,000 fine or both under Presidential Decree 1727 if caught. – Rudy Santos