By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Manila police declared the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Medicine Building clear of explosives and hazardous devices Friday night after two bomb threat letters were discovered inside female restrooms, prompting security measures and the evacuation of students and personnel.
According to a Manila Police District (MPD) initial incident report, the letters were discovered at around 4:30 p.m. on October 23, 2026, inside the second- and fourth-floor female comfort rooms of the Medicine Building along España Boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila.
A university housekeeping employee, identified in the report as Annalou Seva y Mejia, 42, said a female student from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences informed her that a threatening letter had been placed on top of a toilet tank on the fourth floor.
The letter warned that a bomb had allegedly been planted on school premises and threatened further bomb incidents during the weekend, when the campus would be less occupied. It specifically mentioned the Medicine Building and St. Raymund.
The employee subsequently checked other restrooms and found a second letter on top of a toilet tank inside the faculty restroom on the second floor. That message also threatened additional bomb incidents and expressed distrust in the school’s administration.
She immediately notified university security personnel before reporting the incident to Police Station 14.
The College of Rehabilitation Sciences secretary directed security personnel to advise students and school staff to evacuate the premises as a precaution.
The MPD Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Unit was then alerted and dispatched to inspect the affected building.
At approximately 7:55 p.m., the MPD EOD/K9 team, led by PSSg Maria Thelma Elgera and accompanied by two other personnel, declared the premises clear of explosives and hazardous devices, according to the report.
The building remained closed and secured while authorities carried out the necessary security procedures.
The police report, updated as of 8:10 p.m., did not identify the person or persons responsible for placing the letters or indicate whether an investigation had established their authenticity.
Authorities’ findings cleared the building of explosives and hazardous devices at the time of inspection, but the identity and motive of the person behind the threats remained undetermined.
ia/xf
