THE Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) had warned the public to stop spreading rumors that will only cause undue panic and fear.
This after messages spread in social media about the alleged presence of “suicide bombers” in Cebu and Bohol who are allegedly tasked to bomb malls.
Superintendent Reyman Tolentin, spokesperson of PRO-7, clarified that the messages are not true.
“Our Regional Intelligence Division (RID-7) initiated to validate the said message and turned out it’s a fake news,” said Tolentin on Friday.
Tolentin said that an online message about three female suicide bombers whose mission is to bomb malls in Bohol and Cebu, started to circulate online about two weeks ago.
However, Tolentin said that based on intelligence reports, the said information is not true.
Tolentin assured that as of the present, there are no perceived threats towards Cebu and Bohol adding that the police are continuosly monitoring the situation.
He said that the rumor must have stemmed from the tough competition among malls.
“The creation of the said message is because of a feud among mall establishments due to competition. So they made that message to discourage some people to go to a certain mall,” said the police spokesperson.
Tolentin also bared that the RID-7 has traced the message from Bohol and that the police already have the identities of those who might be responsible for spreading the bomb scare.
“Our intelligence community is now validating their identities. Possible, we will file a case against them,” said Tolentin.
Be vigilant
Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak urged the public to be always vigilant, and report any suspicious activities in their area to the authorities.
“If these bomb threats, which are not even verified, keep circulating, it will create fear among the public. And we don’t want that,” Tumulak said.
Tumulak, who is the Deputy Mayor on Police Matters, also admitted to having received the same online threats.
But he refused to disclose the contents to the media for security purposes.
“We are asking the people not to panic because of these unverified bomb threats going around social media because our police are on top of it, and they are doing their best on securing our areas, barangays, especially the coastal ones,” he said.