Bomb scare at BIR headquarters

MANILA, Philippines - Hundreds of employees and taxpayers evacuated the 12-story Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) building on Agham Road in Quezon City after an employee received a bomb threat some two hours before noon yesterday.

The call turned out to be a hoax. Inspector Arnulfo Franco, Quezon City Police District Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) chief, said they found nothing after one and a half hours of searching the area.

Franco said the call was made to Imelda Bundoy, secretary to the personnel division chief, whose office is on the seventh floor of the main building. He said there were around 500 employees in the building at the time of the call.

Lawyer Daniel de Jesus, chief of the BIR internal security division, said they have yet to establish the motive for the prank call and would not elaborate. He told The STAR he has instructed all persons concerned to make a statement under oath before making an official report.

De Jesus said that normal operations were back by around 11:30 a.m. yesterday. He said it was not necessary under the circumstances to cancel work in the afternoon.

Franco said his team brought sophisticated equipment, including a 20-kilo bomb suit worth P2.5 million donated by Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. about two years ago and a portable bomb detector x-ray machine worth P2.8 million.

He said the QCPD bomb squad is the only one in the country with such equipment.