Work at the Cebu City Hall of Justice on February 12, 2024 was interrupted after the Regional Trial Court Branch 16 of Qimonda Building at North Reclamation Area received a bomb threat, while the Social Security System office in Ormoc City also received the same threat.

The Cebu City Police Office received a forwarded message on the bomb scare at around 9 a.m. on February 12, 2024. The message said that a bomb was planted allegedly in the office of one of the government agencies in the said building and is set to explode at around 3 p.m. 

The CCPO responded through its Explosives and Ordnance Division (EOD). 

The EOD conducted routinary procedural paneling in the said establishment and determined the threat to be a hoax.

Police Lt. Col. Janette Rafter, deputy city director for operations of CCPO, said that the public is further warned of fabricating bomb scares based on Presidential Decree 1727 which declares as unlawful the malicious dissemination of false information or the willful making of any threat concerning bombs. 

This is not the first time that Qimonda building, which houses the Cebu City Palace of Justice, received such threat. 

In March of 2022, it received a bomb scare twice. 

The CCPO identified the suspects behind the bomb threats through its Anti-Cybercrime Unit, and filed charges against them. 

BOMB THREAT IN ORMOC CITY

Workers and clients of the Social Security System (SSS) in Ormoc City, Province of Leyte, were also stricken with panic when a message reportedly from their Head Office mentioned of a bomb threat.

Ormoc City Police Office went immediately to check the area with the help of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, Special Weapon and Tactics team, Philippine Army, and K9 Unit of the city.

Police Lt. Col. Joel Camacho, ground commander of the responding team, said that the message on a bomb threat was from the Head Office of SSS-Ormoc past 1 p.m. on February 12, 2024. The message reads that a bomb is set to explode in key government offices, thus the workers were advised of a work-from-home arrangement.

The authorities carried out a routinary procedural paneling in the SSS-Ormoc building and in other government offices, but no bomb was found.