QC Justice Hall personnel, guests evacuate following bomb threat

Court personnel and guests were ordered to evacuate the Quezon City Hall of Justice Friday morning following a bomb threat, according to Super Radyo dzBB reporter Allan Gatus.

The report said that according to retired General Elmo San Diego, chief of QC Department of Public Order and Safety, personnel of Branch 227 received a text message about the bomb threat.

To ensure public safety, Executive Justice Rosanna Fe Maglaya ordered the evacuation of all individuals, including employees, from the building to allow the K9 units of the Explosive and Ordnance Division to conduct paneling in the area.

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, who was inside the Justice Hall during the incident, confirmed they were asked to evacuate.

The police are now inside the building to conduct paneling, San Diego added.

The court personnel were allowed to return to their offices past 11 a.m. as authorities did not find any bomb in the building.

Text message

Police Lieutenant Colonel Zachary Capellan, QCPD 10 station commander, declared the building clear after no bombs or explosives were found in the area following the paneling proceedings.

Capellan said authorities conducted the paneling past 9 a.m. He also said that based on the information from Branch 227, the personnel purportedly received the text message on Thursday, February 26 but had only known about the it earlier in the day.

The court personnel were allowed to return to their offices past 11 a.m. as authorities did not find any bomb in the building. Meanwhile, guests were still not allowed to return to the Justice Hall. — Sundy Locus/AOL/RSJ, GMA Integrated News