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BY MAE SINGUAY
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Thursday, February 23, 2017
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BACOLOD City – Bomb threats are most likely hoaxes, said Senior Superintendent Jack Wanky.
Most real bombings do not come with a warning, the city police chief stressed.
Bomb scares recently rattled schools, sowing panic and causing suspension of classes.
Falling victims to such threats were the STI – West Negros University on Tuesday, the Trinity Christian School on Feb. 14, and the VMA Global College and the VMA Training Center on Jan. 30.
Police were set to meet with school leaders, tentatively this week, to discuss the bomb threats.
“We are going to teach them how to respond to bomb threats coming in the form of calls or text [messages],” said Wanky.
Anyone who receives a bomb threat must immediately seek police assistance, he said.
Ideally they should not cut communication with whoever issued the threat, said Wanky.
While calling the police, they should ask who is giving the threat and why they are doing it, among other questions, he said.
Citing Bacolod City Police Office records, Wanky said most bomb threats were hoaxes.
“[There is a] big chance that the bomb threats you will receive are hoaxes,” he pointed out.
Wanky observed that schools where bombs will allegedly detonate suspend classes right away.
But if the threat is reported immediately, the authorities can give advice on what to do, which may not necessarily include suspending classes and evacuating the school premises, the city police chief said.
A protocol must be followed when responding to bomb threats, Wanky stressed.
Such threats must be taken with a grain of salt, too. Anyone could say there is a bomb if they want classes dismissed, he said.
It has been observed that the bomb threats surface during examination days./PN
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