(UPDATE) MANILA, Philippines — Two letters containing alleged bomb threats were found inside female restrooms at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Medicine Building in Manila on Friday, prompting the evacuation of students and school personnel.
According to the Manila Police District (MPD) Police Station 14, the letters were discovered at around 4:30 p.m. on the second and fourth floors of the building.
Police said a 42-year-old housekeeping employee was approached by a female student from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CRS), who told her that a letter had been placed on top of a toilet tank inside the fourth-floor restroom.
Upon checking, the employee found a letter that read, “Warning! Bomb has been planted on sch premises. Further threats 4 bombs may occur during weekend when campus is less occupied. Threats. Med Btdg Main, St. Raymund."
The employee then checked the other restrooms in the building and found another letter on top of a toilet tank inside the faculty restroom on the second floor.
The second letter read, “Warning! Bomb has been planted on school premises. Further threats 9 nomb may occur during weekend when campus is less occupied. Save yourselves! Admins won't save us!"
The employee immediately informed university security personnel before reporting the incident to the police.
MPD said that the CRS college secretary instructed security personnel to advise students and school staff to evacuate the premises due to security concerns.
Police received the report at around 5:10 p.m. and dispatched officers at about 5:20 p.m. The responding team arrived at around 5:45 p.m.
The MPD Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Unit was notified for appropriate action.
As of posting time, the Medicine Building remained closed and secured pending further assessment.
An investigation is ongoing.
In an advisory, UST classes in all levels in the campus on Saturday, along with office work, will be converted to an Enriched Virtual Mode of Instruction, as well as remote work arrangements.
The UST Office of the Secretary General (OSG), said the University ordered the evacuation of the campus as a “safety measure against a bomb threat received.”
“The University, in coordination with the Philippine National Police, is undertaking a thorough inspection of the campus and will issue an update as soon as the authorities provide their report,” the university said.
“We urge people with information to come forward. We also remind everyone that safety is a shared responsibility and collective concern. Such disruptive acts are not taken lightly, and appropriate measures will be taken to address those behind these acts,” it added.
UST is the latest school to be hit by a bomb scare. Other campuses that received bomb threats were the University of the East in Manila on Oct. 20; the University of the Philippines in Diliman on Oct. 15; the FEU in Manila and Muntinlupa on Sept. 23-25 and the Centro Escolar University in Manila on Feb. 3.
