Police seek cyber warrant over Iloilo bomb threats

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) has vowed to pursue those responsible for a recent wave of bomb threats that disrupted the city over the past several days.

Colonel Kim Legada, Iloilo City police chief, said investigators believe the threats may have been carried out by multiple individuals.

He confirmed that the Philippine National Police Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit 6 is preparing to request a cyber warrant from the court to identify several Facebook users linked to the threats.

He did not provide additional details but said the move is part of ongoing efforts to trace the origin of the hoax messages.

On Thursday, police questioned a student from Fort San Pedro National High School who admitted to sending one of the threats.

The 15-year-old boy confessed that he sent the message targeting his own school on Nov. 19 because he was bored.

He allegedly copied a previous bomb threat, edited it, and sent it to his classmates.

A teacher reported the incident, and the student’s grandmother, who is his guardian, turned him over to authorities.

Legada said they are investigating the student’s true motive for sending the message.

Authorities are also looking into the circumstances behind his surrender, including the possibility that the family hoped to claim the reward offered by the city government.

From Nov. 12 to 20, the ICPO recorded 34 bomb threats involving 20 schools and one commercial establishment.

During the same period, the Iloilo Police Provincial Office reported 27 bomb threats involving 23 schools, a barangay hall, and a town plaza.