The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Monday said it will ask the government of Japan to investigate and identify the sender of a bomb threat via email to at least six government agencies.
“As reported, CICC together with the Philippine National Police and the MIS personnel of these agencies, recovered multiple emails sent to several people in their said agencies,” CICC executive director Alexander Ramos said.
“There is no cause for alarm as this sender and email has been tagged as a hoax,” he added. (Read related story here.)
At about the same time multiple government agencies in Seoul, South Korea received the same email, according to Ramos.
“Last year the alleged sender sent the same bomb threat to several government agencies. The said email originated from Japan whose domain name was registered locally in Japan,” Ramos said.
“Efforts are on the way to request the Japanese government to investigate thoroughly and identify the sender,” he added.
As part of the emergency protocols, Ramos said the affected government agencies were advised to practice their emergency evacuation procedures as part of the agency preparedness.
Under Philippine laws, the malicious dissemination of false information or the wilful making of any threat concerning bombs, explosives or any similar device is a serious offense.
Section 2 of Presidential Decree No. 127 stated that such act is punishable means of an arrest, search and seizure order. The offender is also not entitled to bail pending trial by the military tribunals or military courts, which shall have jurisdiction over cases involving violation of the decree.