Iloilo City school gets bomb threat

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Classes continued at a public school in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, on Friday after it received a bomb threat around noon, police said.

According to reports, a Grade 10 teacher at Hibao-an Integrated School in Barangay Hibao-an Sur received the threat through her Messenger account.

The message warned teachers and students to leave the area, claiming a bomb had been placed behind a newly constructed school building and threatening casualties if the warning was ignored.

The teacher immediately reported the incident to school principal Laura Milan, who alerted police at about 12:47 p.m.

PCapt. Joebert Amado, chief of Iloilo City Police Station 5, said police officers secured the school premises while waiting for the arrival of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team.

The EOD team conducted a paneling operation and later declared the area clear, finding no explosive devices.

Amado said the area mentioned in the threat refers to a newly constructed building that is not yet being used for classes.

School operations, including the canteen, continued during the incident, he added.

Amado said all relevant information has been forwarded to the Philippine National Police Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit 6 for investigation.

The incident came days after a university in Aklan province suspended classes following a bomb threat earlier this week.

Aklan State University’s Ibajay campus suspended classes, work, and office transactions after a bomb threat was sent to members of the university’s student council by an individual using the name “Mariano Stephen.”

Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 said the Hibao-an Integrated School incident is the sixth hoax bomb threat recorded in Western Visayas this year.

PRO-6 said three cases were recorded in Aklan, two in Iloilo City, and one in Iloilo province.