A TRAVELLING bag left unattended at the Bacolod City public plaza Wednesday morning triggered a bomb scare among people in the vicinity.
Senior Inspector Gideon Montaño, head of Police Station 1, said two unidentified men left the bag at the plaza at around 6:30 a.m.
Police responded to a call at 8 a.m., and cordoned off the area.
Bomb expert Demi Montoya used a water disruptor to determine if there was indeed a bomb inside the bag.
Rutche Tabuen, 54, one of the plaza vendors, said the two men sold her a wristwatch for P40 after they bought coffee at around 6:30 a.m.
Tabuen said the two men were carrying two bags. They took out some things and left the other bag on one of the benches.
After two hours of validation, authorities declared the area negative of bomb at around 10 a.m.
Montaño said the bag contained used clothes of a female.
In the afternoon, Montaño said a woman from Victorias City claimed the bag, saying it was stolen from her last September 13.
The bag was turned over to the owner, Montaño added.
Senior Superintendent Flynn Dongbo, acting city director of Bacolod City Police Office, had earlier reminded the public to report presence of suspicious persons and objects to the authorities.
The city police chief urged the public to report any bomb scare so that law enforcement agencies can take action right away.
