The text message received by the Cebu City Command Center Friday morning of an alleged bomb planted inside the City Hall. (Decemay Padilla)
The Cebu City Hall received Friday morning a bomb threat from an unknown texter resulting in the immediate evacuation of its employees and guests and the abrupt suspension of work.
Ramil Ayuman of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) said the city’s command center received via text message the bomb threat at past 10 am.
In the text message shown by Ayuman to reporters, the threat reads: “Meron BOMBA KAMING ITINANIM SA CEBU CITY HALL. KUNG GUSTO NYONG MALIGTAS ANG INYONG EMPLEYADO GUMAWA NA KAYO NG MABILISANG ACTION. ANG BOMBA AY SASABOG NGAYON.”
Ayuman immediately coordinated with City Administrator Floro Casas Jr., who ordered the evacuation of all employees and the public transacting in the city hall and the immediate vicinity.
The Cebu City Police Office Bomb Squad, together with its bomb-sniffing K-9 unit immediately checked the city hall building.
“We believe this is just a hoax. But it’s difficult to trace (the sender) because they are using prepaid (SIM),” Ayuman said in Bisaya.
Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak, the council chairperson on the committee on disaster risk and management told reporters that work in the city hall was suspended to thoroughly check all offices and floors of the building.
Local authorities will be coordinating with the National Telecommunications Commission to try to identify the person who sent the text message.
This is not the first time the city received a bomb threat this year. The first was in June when the Cebu City Schools Division Office of the Department of Education (DepEd) received via text a bomb threat due to alleged unpaid teacher allowances. –Ryan Sorote