Bomb Threat Halts UP Visayas Classes, Work

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By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Two weeks after a bomb threat forced a university in Iloilo to suspend operations, another Iloilo institution implemented similar measures on Friday, Nov. 29, following a new threat via private message.

University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) Information and Publications Office Director Gerthrode Charlotte Tan-Mabilog told Daily Guardian that their Facebook page received the threat at around 6:15 a.m. on Friday.

She reported the matter to Vice Chancellor for Administration Farisal Bagsit, who was officer-in-charge, and Chancellor Clement Camposano, who was traveling back from Bacolod City.

UP Visayas has two campuses in Iloilo – one in Iloilo City and another in the town of Miagao in the southern part of Iloilo province.

The threat did not specify which campus will be “bombed.”

The university activated its crisis committee and, by 9:40 a.m., announced the suspension of face-to-face classes and on-site work. Faculty and staff were notified via text blasts.

“The University of the Philippines Visayas will shift to remote learning modalities in all levels and work-from-home setup for its personnel today, 29 Nov. 2024, except for the HSU and SSF staff, to address a security concern in both the Iloilo City and Miagao campuses effective immediately,” the university said in a Facebook post.

Essential personnel from health and security units remained on-site. Dormitory residents were allowed to stay but were encouraged to leave if they could.

At 4:40 p.m., UPV announced on Facebook that the Explosives and Ordnance Division of Police Regional Office 6 had cleared both campuses of any bombs.

This marked the third major bomb scare in Iloilo in November. Earlier threats targeted the Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao on Nov. 26 and the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U) in La Paz on Nov. 15.

Tan-Mabilog noted similarities between the UPV and ISAT-U threats, both delivered via Facebook.

However, the UPV threat was less detailed, prompting the suspension of activities on both campuses.