A Swiss national was arrested for allegedly cracking a bomb joke at the Siargao Domestic Airport in Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte.

Police said the citizen of Schweiz, Switzerland identified as alias “Pet,” 63, was about to leave the island on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, after a vacation.

The Swiss national allegedly made a bomb joke twice while at the airport premises and was overheard by a passenger service agent who then reported the incident to the airport police.

Authorities conducted K9 paneling and checked the passengers’ baggage. No indication of explosives was found during the inspection.

The man was charged for violation of the Anti-Bomb Joke Law (PD No.1727), the law that declares as unlawful the malicious dissemination of false information of the willful making of any threat concerning bombs, explosives, or any similar device or means of destruction.

Violators of the law will be penalized with imprisonment of not more than five years and/or will be made to pay a fine of not more than P40,000.

“May this incident serve as a reminder that any person who makes such bomb jokes will surely face legal consequences. We remind the passengers that making bomb jokes at the airport or inside the airplane is strictly prohibited,” Police Regional Office-Caraga Director, Brigadier General Kirby John Kraft, said.