MANILA, Philippines — A series of bomb scares on Wednesday show that citizens are aware of what they should do when they see potential bombs, the spokesperson of the National Capital Region Police Office said.
"Citizens now know how to react in the presence of suspected packages," Chief Inspector Kimberly Molitas told Philstar.com on Thursday.
The statement came after three suspected bombs were reported to the Philippine National Police-Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Group by concerned citizens on Wednesday.
Police were called to respond to a suspected bomb on 4th Avenue in Barangay Bagong Lipunan — just outside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame — in Quezon City on Wednesday afternoon. Another suspected bomb was found near the PNP General Hospital later that day while a suspected bomb was also reported near the LRT Carriedo Station in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
"All the packages [did] not have any IEDs in it or [did] not contain any material that will render any explosion," Molitas said.
The first suspected bomb looked like a bundle of dynamite with a digital timer, a battery and wires while the second suspicious package turned out to be several boxes of wires. Th PNP-EOD has yet to determine whether the package was left there deliberately.
The third potential bomb was an abandoned bag which, upon inspection by the EOD, turned out to be filled with personal belongings.
A member of the EOD, who refused to be named citing lack of authority to speak to media, also told Philstar.com that the three bomb scares are likely unrelated.
Molitas said that citizens' response to the suspicious packages reflects their awareness developed by the government's continued information campaigns against terrorism. She also said that the police have already told the public to report any suspicious packages to the EOD or the nearest police station, and to not open the packages.
Chief Superintendent Oscar Albayalde, NCRPO director, meanwhile, thanked the public for being alert and reporting potential bombs to the police immediately.
"Whether bomb threats are [a] hoax or not, we will always take them seriously and respond to them in the shortest possible time," Albayalde said in a statement.
Last November, an improvised explosive device was found near the US embassy in Manila and was safely detonated by the EOD.
PNP Director General Dela Rosa also praised the public for being alert in reporting suspected packages.
"Maganda ito, ang ating mga kababayan ngayon ay alerto na," Dela Rosa said.
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