Girl from Samal Island barred from riding bus after making bomb joke

A 16-year-old girl from Samal Island in Davao del Norte was barred from riding a bus to Kidapawan City after making a bomb joke, a report on "24 Oras" said Wednesday.

Under Presidential Decree 1727, those found making jokes concerning explosives will face a jail term of five years and a penalty of no lower than P40,000.

The girl, who said she was not aware of the law, underwent counseling instead of imprisonment due to her age, the report by GMA News' Chino Gaston said.

The girl was among the thousands of passengers who were in terminals and ports on Wednesday rushing to get to their destination two days before Christmas.

Delays

At the Araneta Bus Terminal in Quezon City, bus drivers testing positive for illegal drug use resulted in delayed trips for many passengers, the report said.

It said two of 300 bus drivers tested for drugs were barred from driving at the Araneta terminal during the second day of testing at the terminal.

Drivers and conductors were inconvenienced by the tests but understood the safety and peace of mind it gave passengers.

"Medyo nakakaabala ng oras konti. Pero sa 'kin okay lang naman yung drug test para malaman ba sa mga pasahero na okay talaga yung driver kasi mahirap yung magda-drive na medyo may tama," a driver commented. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News