By Leonardo Micua

 

PRANKSTERS abound again and are likely behind the series of  bomb threats that recently rocked Metro Manila and some provinces.

Their folly already extended to Pangasinan. Three schools and may be more were recently targets of such threats that fortunately turned out to be hoaxes. No bombs found.

These, however, still caused students, parents and teachers nervous breakdown. There were reports that some worried parents were in near cardiac arrest.

Recipients of the bomb threats were the Mangaldan National High School, followed by the Pangasinan National High School and later that same day, the Pangasinan State University in Lingayen.

Prior to these, employees of the SSS branch in Dagupan calmly walked out from their office last week after the SSS head office in Manila received an e-mail from an unknown sender that a bomb was planted in one of its branches, without indicating which branch.

As precaution, work in all SSS branches throughout the country were temporarily suspended till their offices were inspected and declared safe by the bomb explosive and ordnance units of the police.

On the SSS incident, the e-mail was traced to a lawyer in Japan who flatly denied he had anything to do with the bomb threat, speculating that his e-mail address could have been stolen to be used for criminal activities.

There is also the possibility that it was not only the SSS head office in Manila that received the threat but may be other institutions in other parts of the world.

Speculations are very rife that the bomb threats were coming from overseas to sow fear and confusion on the people and disrupt governance.

But the most proximate source could be local dudes who developed the modus in their little corners to create confusion and chaos.

This is not discounting the fact that the malefactors could be drug users or even pushers who may be using this modus as their outlet for their misguided grievances against the authorities.

But for me, these bomb threats could just be the handiworks of demons in our midst, they who rejoice on seeing people scamper away, scurrying for their safety.

Whoever are behind this sinister plot of putting peace-loving people in the grip of fear should be unmasked soon and punished to the fullest extent of the law whoever they are. They who are sick in the mind who find happiness in seeing people cowering in fear and hysteria.

Consider the enormous time and resources being spent by the police and the government every time they respond to a bomb threat. They bring along their equipment, including bomb-sniffing dogs to the place under bomb threat, and work at the scene for hours only to find out in the end there is no bomb to diffuse.

If those who think that this is a part of a destabilization plot by some misguided elements in a bid to topple down the one in power and install a new one in its stead, think again. It’s not going to work because majority of the Filipino people will not surely buy that kind of crap.

Meanwhile, the police continue to investigate and identify those responsible for the bomb threats and but also those responsible for spreading threats to create panic.

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