Fear and disruption swept through Iloilo on Monday, Nov. 17, as a surge of bomb threats shut down several schools and forced authorities to raise the city’s security to its highest alert level, with police warning pranksters that they are now building airtight cases to send them to jail.
Since November 12, the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU-6) has recorded 11 bomb threats across Iloilo, nine traced to the city and two from the province.
But today marked the most unsettling spike—six threats in just one morning, hitting major campuses such as Iloilo National High School, West Visayas State University (Main and Calinog), Iloilo Science and Technology University, Hua Siong College of Iloilo, and Guimbal National High School.
RACU-6 chief Lt. Col. Richard Habawel said their team is racing to help local police units unmask the senders, but the investigation will take time.
The official stressed that law enforcers are capable of tracking the culprits; they simply need the patience of the public as the process moves forward.
Habawel issued a blunt appeal: stop spreading fake bomb information.
He said the hoaxes paralyze classes, disrupt work, and derail the daily lives of thousands—far from being the harmless jokes pranksters think they are.
Under Presidential Decree 1727, the Anti-Bomb Joke Law, anyone proven to have made or spread such threats could face up to five years in prison and a ₱40,000 fine. “Indi ini kalingawan. Indi ini palagpat,” he emphasized.
Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) Director Col. Kim Legada echoed the warning, saying they are now preparing strong evidence against those behind the scare.
He reminded students from schools that suspended classes to head straight home and avoid crowding in public areas that could become potential targets.
Mayor Raisa Treñas ordered an immediate tightening of security across the city, especially in City Hall, the Legislative Building, and other government offices.
Her spokesperson, Joy Fantilaga-Gorzal, said the mayor is treating every bomb threat as a serious matter, particularly with multiple campuses forced to cancel face-to-face classes this morning.IMT
