Cebu City condo declared safe after bomb threat

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Authorities declared a condominium building in Cebu City safe early Sunday, July 5, after an hour-long security sweep found no explosive device following a reported bomb threat.

According to the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO), the bomb sweep at the condominium building in Barangay Cogon Ramos yielded negative results, prompting authorities to lift security measures and allow normal operations to resume.

Security sweep

The CCDRRMO said it received an initial report of the bomb threat at 2:11 a.m., while the bomb threat alarm was officially relayed to the agency and other responding units at 2:46 a.m.

READ: LOOK: Bomb threat disrupts operations at mall in Cebu IT Park

Local authorities immediately coordinated with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other emergency response agencies.

Personnel from the Abellana Police Station and the PNP Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit arrived at the scene at around 2:55 a.m.

READ: Bomb hoax: Cebu City eyes raps, has culprit’s number, e-mail

Shortly thereafter, the CCDRRMO Emergency Response Team arrived and coordinated incident management with the responding agencies.

At 3:50 a.m., the PNP Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit entered the building and conducted a systematic bomb sweep.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and its Special Rescue Force (SRF) arrived at 3:58 a.m. to provide emergency response support, while personnel from the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Tactical Response Unit (TRU) arrived at around 4 a.m. to reinforce security operations.

The bomb sweep concluded at 4:15 a.m., with the EOD Unit confirming that no explosive device or other hazardous item had been found.

Responding agencies conducted a post-operation debriefing at 4:20 a.m., and officially terminated the operation at 4:40 a.m.

Traffic temporarily affected

While the bomb sweep was underway, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) temporarily closed a portion of Gen. Maxilom Avenue as traffic enforcers managed the flow of vehicles in the area.

The road was reopened after authorities declared the condominium building safe.

Public urged be responsible

Following the operation, authorities reminded the public to use social media and other communication platforms responsibly, warning that false bomb threats and the spread of unverified information can cause unnecessary panic, disrupt public order, divert emergency resources, and lead to criminal liability under Philippine law.

They also urged the public to verify information through official government channels and promptly report legitimate security concerns to the proper authorities.

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