ILOILO City – Ateneo de Iloilo – Santa Maria Catholic School in Barangay San Rafael, Mandurriao district cancelled classes yesterday due to a bomb threat.
Security guard Johnny De Pablo found an abandoned green bag at Gate 2 of the school around 9:05 a.m. Its contents alarmed him – a cellular phone wrapped in electrical tape and two red and white leg wires connected to a plastic bottle. He immediately alerted school officials.
Classes were suspended and an evacuation was ordered.
According to Chief Inspector Engilbert Banquillo, Mandurriao police chief, the contraption was assembled to look like an improvised explosive device but without a main charge that, in real bombs, could trigger an explosion.
The Explosive and Ordnance Division of the Iloilo City Police Office, however, did not leave anything to chance. It used a projected water disruptor to destroy the device.
Banquillo said the school did not have a security camera at Gate 2 so identifying the persons who left the bag there was a challenge.
Ateneo de Iloilo president Fr. Joseph Haw condemned what he said was an attempt “not only to disrupt school activities but also to sow fear among our stakeholders and the whole city.”
The high school department of Ateneo de Iloilo was holding its intramurals.
“Upon the analysis of the EOD, the bomb…was a hoax but…intentionally made to appear like a real Improvised Explosive Device (IED). We are very thankful for the full cooperation of the whole community in the evacuation and safety procedures…,” Haw posted on the official Facebook page of Ateneo de Iloilo.
He commended “those who are in charge of security, and the personnel who were put in charge in the school operations in my absence.”
Ateneo de Iloilo, Haw stressed, would conduct an investigation in cooperation with the police “to determine the perpetrator and pursue legal actions.”
“We assure the public that we shall continue to intensify our security efforts to ensure a safe learning environment,” added Haw.
School activities resume today./PN
