The aviation authority received a bomb threat against commercial aircraft on Friday, prompting the deployment of security personnel and sniffer dogs at dozens of Philippine airports.
The threat that aircraft at the Manila airport and four other locations will “explode” was received through email on Wednesday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, which said it was looking into the matter.
In a statement released on Friday, the regulator stated that “immediate enhanced security measures are being implemented across all airports” and that 42 commercial airports are “on heightened alert.”
According to aviation authority spokesman Eric Apolonio, “no bombs have been found” and no flights have been impacted.
As an addition to its already established daily practices, the Manila airport administration said on Friday that “foot and mobile patrols are in place and K9 units are doing the rounds of the terminals.”
Apolonio informed AFP that the safeguards taken at the airport in Manila were also being applied at the other airports.
He claimed that this was the country’s second airport threat since Monday, when a Manila-bound flight was forced to abandon takeoff at Bicol airport after the captain found a piece of paper with the words “BOMB?” scribbled on it in the bathroom.
According to Apolonio, Bicol airport authorities stopped the runway and suspended flight operations, forcing all 133 passengers to disembark the aircraft and submit to security inspections. Meanwhile, an inbound flight was routed back to Manila.
According to him, the authorities ultimately decided it was a “joke” and permitted the jet to take off over four hours later.
If the police believed the threats from Monday and Wednesday were connected, Apolonio would not comment.
