Suspicious box creates tension in Manila

MANILA -- An abandoned box believed to be containing explosives created brief tension and traffic congestion in Manila on Tuesday morning.

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim said the suspicious box was brought out of a travelling bus and placed at the Mehan Garden near Lawton.

He added that bomb disposal personnel went to the area to clear the cargo with water cannon.

Discovered with the box were a cellphone, wires, and a note that said, "May iniwan ako na bomba sa likurang bahagi ng bus... Baguhin ang Pilipinas... Boom!"

But no explosives were found inside the box as it only contained sand.

Tuesday's bomb scare in Lawton happened two days after a bomb explosion was reported in Manila.

Last Saturday, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said a bombing incident happened at Light Rail Transit Recto Station.

But the MMDA and the police later clarified that the reported explosion was probably the controlled detonation of three suspicious boxes found in the area.

Authorities later discovered that the boxes only contained glass shards.

The recent bomb scares in the city happened amid the warnings of a possible terrorist attack in the country issued by the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada particularly alerted its nationals for possible explosive attacks in the country.

"Continuing reports suggest that there is an ongoing terrorist threat to Westerners and Western interests in the Philippines. Bomb attacks could occur at any time in Manila and other key cities," the Canadian agency said. (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)