BOMB SCARE. Passengers of a Cebu Pacific flight undergo baggage re-checking after a bomb scare at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Negros Occidental province on Sunday night (July 3, 2023). The plane was supposed to depart at 11:30 p.m., but instead flew at past 2 a.m. and was able to land safely in Manila, according to the Bacolod-Silay Airport Police Station. (Contributed Photo)
BACOLOD CITY – The Bacolod-Silay Airport Police Station in Negros Occidental province is seeking assistance from the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group to investigate the bomb scare that affected a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Manila on Sunday night.
Passengers were asked to deplane after they were informed about a bomb threat sent to iPhone users through the file-sharing application AirDrop.
“We just requested the Cybercrime (Group to investigate). There is no number, only a name," said Maj. Deejay Domingo, chief of Bacolod-Silay Airport Police Station, in a media interview on Monday.
He said the boarding was almost done when one of the passengers showed the "bomb threat" sent to his mobile phone.
Based on the information obtained by the local media, the message from “White Boi Little Man” read: “The plane is going to go boom!”
“For security reasons, the airline personnel asked for police assistance," Domingo said.
He said the plane was supposed to depart at 11:30 p.m. but after a re-checking of baggage, the departure was set at past 2 a.m.
"The plane was able to land safely in Manila," Domingo said.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson expressed hope the authorities would be able to determine the identity of the person behind the bomb scare.
“It was a prank. We all know that every time there’s a bomb threat, there’s a protocol (to be followed). If you’re inside the plane or a building, everybody goes out. I hope they can locate the prankster, but it can really cause you inconvenience,” he told reporters. (PNA)
