Jail, fine for bomb jokes

MANILA, Philippines — Making bomb jokes in Manila could land you in jail, if an ordinance passes in the city council.

The proposed ordinance, authored by Manila Second District Councilor Rodolfo Lacsamana, has been approved on first reading.

It imposes a jail term of three days and a fine of P5,000 on persons who shall cause or stir public anxiety or fear by making calls or statements of a false bomb threats in public places in the city.

“Considering the seriousness of the matter, the panic it will cause after the threat which insensitive people will think is funny, the person who makes it should be held liable. The threat of a bomb is no longer an object of humor nowadays. People have died because of bombs,” Lacsamana told the Manila Bulletin.

“Simply put, a joke could not only throw you in jail, but also cost you R5,000 in penalties,” he said.

Lacsamana, in his ordinance, said he thought about the ordinance after a bomb explosion inside a bus in Makati last January which wounded and killed several passengers.

He said there were individuals who heighten the tension by making prank calls or statements about bombs or explosives being planted in public or commercial buildings, theaters, malls, hotels, bus stations or jeepney terminals and other places where people congregate.

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