A 37-YEAR-OLD woman was arrested after she joked about having a bomb in her bag inside a local mall yesterday morning, a week after a bomb killed 14 persons in a Davao City night market.
Jasmin Sala, who hails from Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City, said she was unaware that it was violation of the law to joke about explosives.
“Wala ko kahibaw ana. Dako kaayo akong pagmahay. Please, Sir, tabangi ko ninyo (I didn’t know that it was against the law. I really regret what I did. Please, Sir, help me),” Sala wailed in the Investigation and Detection Management Branch (IDMB) office.
“Nag joke ra gud ko (I was just joking),” she cried, hiding her face from the cameras.
Under Presidential Decree 1727, a person may be jailed for up to five years or fined a maximum of P40,000 if found guilty.
This decree punishes “the malicious dissemination of false information” or “any threat concerning bombs, explosives or any similar device.”
The offender, the law stated, shall not be entitled to bail pending trial by the military courts, which have an exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving PD 1727.
It was decreed by former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
According to the IDMB chief, Supt. Ryan Devaras, even if the mall management will not charge Sala, the police will be the one to file charges.
“We will definitely file the case against her,” Devaras said.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) declared a nationwide full alert status after a bombing in Davao City that claimed 14 lives and wounded 71 others last Sept. 2.
Gerly Salimbagon, detachment commander of the mall’s security, said that they received the information at 11:35 a.m. from their guard in the entrance.
“Pagkahuman og search sa gwardiya sa iyang bag, niingon siya, ‘Naa raba nay bomba.’ Niana dayon among gwardiya nga ‘Sigurado ka, Maam?’ unya didto na siya niingon nga joke ra kuno to (After our guard inspected her bag, she said to our guard that her bag contained a bomb. When the guard asked her if she was serious, she said that it was only a joke),” Salimbagon said.
Sala, a production worker in an industrial estate, was on her way to a photo booth to get pictures for her visa application to Japan where she was planning to work.
“Akong anak wala’y laing mobantay, gihilantan ‘tawn (No one can watch over my child who is suffering from a fever),” she cried.
Salimbagon invited Sala after she had her picture taken to ask about the bomb joke because he considered it a potentially serious threat to their security.
“Dili na kakumpyansahan kay bomba gud na (You cannot be complacent about it),” he said.
When they searched her sling bag, there was no explosive. All they found were her personal belongings like a lipstick, umbrella and face powder.
SPO1 Rommel Oporto from the IDMB said that Sala will be temporarily detained in the Cebu City Police Office holding cell until Tuesday, at least. (Both yesterday and Monday are holidays.)
Police advised the public to avoid making bomb jokes or similar statements in malls, establishments and parks to prevent causing panic.
Recently, a post about four women trained to be suicide bombers allegedly plotting to blow up malls in Cebu spread like wildfire in social media and text messages.
The police said it had no basis and that Cebu remains “insurgency-free.”
Still, they are not letting their guard down. The authorities urged the public to remain vigilant and watchful of any suspicious persons or things within their area.
Two calls were received by the command center about a bag left in Fuente Osmeña Circle and a box abandoned outside the Cebu City Sports Complex, which allegedly contained a bomb.
Both turned out to be hoaxes.
Random checkpoints are being conducted by the police and the military throughout the city to thwart plots.
Vital installations like churches, terminals and seaports also have tightened security in response to the nationwide full alert status.