One school after another fell to the apparent bomb scare from a still unidentified prankster whose bomb threat sent ripples of concern from authorities in the last two days.
Four schools spread across the city evacuated their students for several hours as messages of planted bombs in their campuses were supposed to detonate soon after receiving the messages sent online, the police said, citing report from school authorities.
The first to receive the bomb message was the Davao Wisdom Academy along F. Torres in downtown Davao City, which received the message at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday from its official Facebook account. Police said it found no trace of a bomb and declared the campus safe by 11:44 a.m.
At 12:45 p.m., the Mintal Comprehensive Stand Alone Senior High School some 15 kilometers west of downtown received a chat message at its official Facebook account about a planted bomb inside the campus. School and police authorities evacuated the students and faculty. The school was declared safe by 2:10 pm.
On Thursday, the prank continued, this time, an online message was sent to Talomo National High School in Talomo, eight kilometers south of downtown. The message was sent at 7:30 a.m., according teacher Kristopher Glen Ultiano Uy.
Also at the same time, Grade 11 Head Teacher Junard Reyes of F. Bangoy Senior High School, nine kilometers north of downtown reported to police a co-teacher received an earlier message, at 7:08 a.m. on the same date, his co-teacher, Samantha Angela Bandigan Galigao, received a chat message of a planted bomb in the school.
Police deployed drone gadgets in all four incidents to monitor the school and its surroundings.
Police cybercrime operatives were yet to determine if only one or several pranksters were operating. The schools reported different account names of the pranksters. The Mintal school said the account sender used the name Kozo Wagner, while the Talomo sender used Dumpiie Dump and the Bangoy sender used Nako Dump.
City police spokesman, Captain Hazel Caballero Tuazon, has warned that pranksters and those making bomb jokes face prison terms and a fine of P40,000. Acting City Police Chief, Col. Mannan Muarip, has created an investigation group to identify and arrest them.