An Italian tourist was arrested after cracking a bomb joke at Boracay’s Kalibo Airport yesterday (Wednesday, June 21).
The ill-considered gag placed Christiano de Angeles, aged 40, in violation of Presidential Decree 1727, or the anti-bomb joke law.
According to police, De Angeles requested a flight rebooking at an Air Asia check-in counter and became frustrated when told about the extra fees.
Then, when he was asked what he was carrying in his bag, he told staff he had a bomb.
De Angeles was detained at the airport police station. The KIA is among the busiest airports in the country catering mostly to tourists bound for the island-resort of Boracay Island.
Local police spokesman Lope Manlapaz said: “We have to be serious about this. That’s why I encourage everyone to avoid this kind of joke, especially as we have had this ‘bomb joke law’ since the 1970s.
“The police authority will enforce the law strictly in the interest of public safety.”
Mr Manlapaz also reminded travellers to always report any suspicious or unattended bags and to avoid spreading unverified warnings from unknown sources. “Do not believe the text messages, but report information to police for proper verification and to avoid spreading unverified information, especially on social media,” he added.
Wednesday’s arrest was not the first of its kind seen in the Philippines. In August 2015 we reported how 50-year-old Filipina Daisy David Medallon fell foul of the presidential decree at Manila’s NAIA airport.