The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) said on Tuesday that 28 government agencies in the National Capital Region (NCR) received the bomb threat email.
On Monday, the CICC reported that an email that was sent on February 12, 2024, claiming that there were bombs planted in the agencies’ premises. However, all the agencies were investigated and found negative for any explosive or hazardous materials. No one was harmed or injured by the hoax.
The CICC has already requested the assistance of the Japanese government to trace the origin of the email and identify the sender. The agency confirmed that the email was similar to the ones that reached different countries in 2021, such as Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. As of yesterday, two countries were hit by the same email, Malaysia and the Philippines.
CICC Executive Director Alexander Ramos said that the bomb threat email usually targets railways or buildings and government offices. He added that the person who owns the name of the email was identified, but he denied any involvement and claimed that his identity was stolen.
DICT Secretary Ivan Uy is coordinating with the Japanese Embassy to investigate the matter.
As part of the emergency protocols, the affected government agencies were advised to practice their emergency evacuation procedures as part of their preparedness. Ramos said that any bomb threat must be taken seriously, always, to prevent potential danger to the public.
