Philippines asks Japan to probe hoax bomb threats

The Philippines is now coordinating with Japan for an investigation into the hoax bomb threats received by several government agencies in Manila, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Tuesday.

In a statement, the PCO said the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) is coordinating with the Japanese government about the concern.

“Efforts are now on the way to request the Japanese government to investigate thoroughly and identify the sender…There is no cause for alarm as this sender and email has been tagged as hoax,” the CICC said.

Among the agencies that received the bomb threats are Bataan’s Department of Education division office; Iba, Zambales’ local government; and Quezon City’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) head office.

According to a "24 Oras" report by Maki Pulido on Tuesday, SSS-Baguio City and 2 schools in Paete, Laguna also received said threats.

Within Metro Manila, a total of 28 government agencies received the false bomb threat through their email addresses.

According to the CICC, the email containing the bomb threats originated from Japan. It had a locally registered domain name that also hit multiple government agencies in Seoul, South Korea.

The CICC said similar bomb threats also hit several government agencies in 2023.

However, the CICC clarified that affected government agencies were advised to still practice their emergency evacuation procedures as part of their preparedness efforts and emergency protocols. —Joviland Rita/KG, GMA Integrated News