NCRPO orders tighter school bomb threat protocols after UST scare

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has ordered police units across Metro Manila to strengthen bomb threat response protocols in schools following the evacuation of students and personnel at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) after two threat letters were discovered on campus.

NCRPO Officer-in-Charge Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano directed police commanders to intensify bomb threat awareness campaigns and coordinate with school administrators, security personnel, local government units and emergency responders to ensure that threats are properly reported and assessed.

“Every bomb threat must be taken seriously, but our response must also be disciplined, coordinated, and guided by established procedures,” Abrahano said.

Abrahano said schools must be prepared to respond to threats through established procedures, including identifying whom to contact, reporting suspicious communications and determining when to implement emergency measures.

The awareness campaign will cover proper threat reporting, immediate coordination with police and emergency responders, orderly evacuation when warranted, securing affected areas and conducting security assessments before students and personnel are allowed to return.

Police personnel were also instructed to remind school officials and security teams to preserve available evidence and refrain from spreading unverified information that could heighten public anxiety.

Abrahano said decisions to suspend classes, evacuate buildings or allow occupants to return must be based on the circumstances of each threat and the assessment of authorized responding personnel.

The NCRPO directive followed the discovery of two bomb threat letters inside women's restrooms at UST's Medicine Building in Manila on 23 October.

A separate bomb threat also disrupted activities at the University of the East's Manila campus on 20 October.