CEBU CITY -- This city was rocked by bomb threats on a day a passenger bus in Koronadal City and a bus terminal in Tacurong were bombed on Thursday.

The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) on Thursday afternoon received four bomb threats which were later found out to be a hoax.

Lt. Col. Maria Theresa Macatangay, information officer of CCPO, said a screenshot of a text message containing the bomb threats was sent from one group chat to another until it reached to some workers of the Cebu City Hall of Justice.

The text message warned that that bombs had been separately planted at the Cebu City Hall of Justice at the North Reclamation Area, Cebu City Hall, Carbon Market and at the newly opened Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway.

Work and court hearings at the Hall of Justice were immediately suspended while personnel from the Explosive Ordnance Division scoured the building.

No explosives were found in the four areas that were mentioned in the bomb threats.

Macatangay said the bomb threats were received past noon and it was already around 5 p.m. when the police bomb squad cleared the four areas from any explosive.

Macatangay said the threat came from one person.

“We will coordinate with the Anti-Cyber Crime Unit to check and possibly identify the person behind the threats,” said Macatangay.

Macatangay warned that the police are taking such incidents seriously.

In fact, Macatangay said, two persons have been charged after they were found to be responsible behind the bomb hoax last March in which the alleged bomb was placed at the Cebu City Hall of Justice.

The bomb threats in Cebu City happened on the same day that separate bomb blasts simultaneously rocked a passenger bus of Yellow Bus Line in Koronadal City and a bus terminal in Tacurong City.

The driver and the passenger of a tricycle that was near a bus were injured as bomb went off at the rear portion of a YBL bus along

Two persons were reported injured in the Koronadal explosion – a tricycle driver and his passenger.

Because of last Thursday’s incident and twin bombings in Mindanao, police met with city officials on Friday where security matters were discussed.

In the meeting presided over by Acting City Mayor Dondon Hontiveros, the city’s 11 station commanders were instructed to tighten security in their respective areas.

Police were also instructed to enforce tighter security in ports and monitor passengers arriving from Mindanao and Luzon.

“We are strengthening our intelligence monitoring. We can assure the public that the city is safe,” said Lt. Col. Wilbert Parilla, CCPO’s deputy city director for administration.