Quezon City pushes for ordinance vs. bomb jokes

The Quezon City Council is set to pass an ordinance that would penalize bomb jokes, including those made through social media, 1st District Councilor Dorothy Delarmente said Monday.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, Delarmente said the proposed ordinance will undergo first reading on Monday afternoon.

"Itong ordinance namin saklaw dito of course, dahil bago na ito, mga pranks na ginagawa sa social media at internet [Our ordinance covers the pranks on social media and the internet]," she said when asked on the difference of the ordinance from Presidential Decree 1727.

Presidential Decree No. 1727, signed in October 1980, penalizes "malicious dissemination of false information or the willful making of any threat concerning bombs, explosives or any similar device or means of destruction."

"'Yun nga yung penalties, iba rin siya sa presidential decree at sinabi na nga rin namin yung penalty para sa mga minors [The penalties are different from what is in the presidential decree and we also included the penalties for minors]," Delarmente added.

Under the proposed ordinance, violators may face a P5,000 fine and six months of imprisonment, according to Delarmente.

If the bomb joke affected school or office activities and caused disorder, violators may face a P5,000 fine multiplied by the number of affected people and not more than a year of imprisonment, she added.

Violators who are minors will be brought to the city government's youth home or any facilities accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Delarmente said.

The Quezon City Council pushed for the ordinance following recent bomb threats at some schools in the city that affected activities.

On Friday, the suspect in the January 26 bomb threat at the Ponciano Bernardo High School, identified as Elfrank Emil Anthony Bacle Kadusale, 22, was arrested. —KBK, GMA Integrated News