Bomb Scare Halts Cebu City Hall Operations, Gov’t Workers Evacuated

Cebu City Hall employees were evacuated from the executive and legislative buildings as officials received a bomb threat inside the building Friday morning.

The Cebu City government was made aware of the bomb threat as the city’s Command Center received an SMS message at 10:19 a.m. that says a bomb was planted in the government center.

Roads around the city hall were also temporarily closed off as the Cebu City Police Office Special Weapons and Tactics team was immediately dispatched along with units from the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Crime Suppression Unit, and disaster personnel headed by Councilor Dave Tumulak, Police Major Edgar Labe, and Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Ramil Ayuman, who conducted a sweep of the buildings.

The bomb threat was declared to be a false alarm soon afterward.

Investigators of the incident said they are holding on to the contact number that messaged the Command Center and that the contact number will be referred to the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit, and the National Bureau of Investigation in hopes of establishing the identity of the bomb threat sender.

The police force will file charges once a suspect emerges from the investigation. (GFB)