A MAN was arrested and ejected from the plane he was on after he cracked a bomb joke while inside the aircraft in the morning of November 3, at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport (Davao Airport).
With this, authorities warned anew the public on the legal consequence of cracking a bomb joke.
Police Regional Office (PRO)-Davao director Police Brigadier General Filmore Escobal said the apprehension of a passenger will serve as a lesson not to downplay jokes which include explosives that may pose security risks and panic among other passengers.
“Let this be a stern warning to everyone to refrain from uttering statements which may cause undue concern, alarm, and panic, and to comply with national laws and regulations that strictly prohibit ‘bomb jokes’ and similar comments,” he said.
On Sunday, the aviation police apprehended a male passenger who was already on board after popping a bomb joke to another passenger inside a Philippine Airlines (PAL) plane bound for Cebu at Davao Airport.
Based on the investigation, the incident happened at around 7:35 a.m. on November 3 while the lady flight crew, who requested anonymity, was assisting a passenger loading his hand luggage. She overheard one passenger asking the arrested person, Ramon Barrios, 40, of Monkayo, Compostela Valley, on the contents of his luggage in which the latter retorted in vernacular “Kanang bomba” (A bomb).
Alarmed, the lady flight crew cautioned Barrios about his statement, which the latter answered that it was just a joke.
Adhering to the protocol, the crew reported the incident to her lead cabin crew and then sought the assistance of the airport authorities. Barrio was arrested and was forced to disembark from the plane. This caused a delay in the flight’s departure.
Under the law, a person who utters a bomb joke at the airport may be penalized with a fine of over P40,000 and/or a jail term of more than five years, depending on the court’s decision.
Barrios is now at the custody of Sasa Police Station for detention and filing of complaint citing violation of Presidential Decree 1727 or the Anti-bomb Joke Law. (JCR)