Bomb scare hits Quezon City Hall of Justice

MANILA, Philippines — A bomb threat disrupted work at the Quezon City Hall of Justice in Barangay Central yesterday morning, affecting the hearing of cases, including that of former Negros Oriental third district congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. at the QC Regional Trial Court Branch 77.

The incident occurred at 8:48 a.m. after a clerk-in-charge in one of the courts received a bomb threat from an unidentified caller through a cell phone.

Members of the Quezon City Police District Explosive and Ordnance Disposal Unit and the Kamuning police station 10 responded and assisted in the evacuation of court employees and visitors.

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, Teves’ counsel, said they were already in the middle of the hearing when they heard a fire alarm.

“The first time it rang, a staff said it might have been a false alarm. However, it sounded off the second time,” Topacio told reporters in Filipino.

He added that security personnel entered the courtroom and told them to evacuate in an orderly manner.

“What’s funny is that we were hearing a case on terrorism, and the fire alarm was triggered,” Topacio said, adding that the hearing was reset to March 4.

Work at the building resumed at 11:05 p.m., as police cybercrime investigators started their probe to identify the source of the bomb threat.