A female passenger was arrested after allegedly making a bomb joke aboard an aircraft at the Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport in San Jose, Tacloban City on Monday, 31 August.

The incident occurred while the passenger was at the galley of a flight to Manila. The passenger approached a cabin crew member to request assistance in retrieving her laptop, which she had inadvertently left at the departure area.

The cabin crew member then coordinated with the ground crew for a radio announcement regarding the missing laptop.

An airline passenger agent subsequently located the laptop and returned it to its owner. However, before the turnover, the passenger was asked to open the laptop for verification. The passenger allegedly responded in the vernacular, “Ay, may bomba ’yan”.

The passenger was immediately subjected to standard security protocols and was arrested by PNP Aviation Security Group personnel. She was informed of her constitutional rights pursuant to the Miranda Doctrine.

The PNP AVSEGROUP is preparing the appropriate criminal complaint for possible violation of Presidential Decree No. 1727, or the Anti-Bomb Joke Law, while the investigation remains ongoing.

PNP AVSEGROUP Director PBGEN Dionisio Bartolome, Jr, emphasized that bomb jokes are taken seriously and that airport authorities will continue to act swiftly and decisively to protect passengers and aviation safety.