Passenger held for Dipolog bomb joke

The Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEGROUP) arrested a male foreign passenger at Dipolog Airport after he made a bomb joke yesterday morning.

In a report, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Area Center 9 said, the male passenger and his spouse were scheduled to board flight PR2558 headed for Manila when the bomb-joking incident took place at approximately 5:55 in the morning.

The passenger originally said, “No! Just an atomic bomb,” when airline employees questioned him about things in his checked luggage. However, he later withdrew that comment and clarified, saying, “I was only joking.”

As a precaution, airline personnel immediately approached airport security and reported the incident. When questioned by security, he replied that his luggage only contained personal belongings and immediately apologized for his previous remarks. The station manager briefly halted the check-in procedure and baggage handling to report the situation to PNP-AVSEU.

CAAP Area Manager Center 9, Edwin Luching, stated that the foreign passenger and his wife did not proceed with their trip as they were taken into custody by the PNP AVSEGROUP.

He reminded passengers that a bomb joke is not a joke, emphasizing, “A bomb joke not only inconveniences passengers but also disrupts airline and airport operations. Such actions could lead to travel disruptions and legal consequences.”

According to Presidential Decree No. 1727, bomb jokes are punished with a penalty of imprisonment of not more than five years or a fine of not more than P40,000.