Pranksters, Beware: QC Wants Heftier Fines, Jail Time for Bomb Jokes

(SPOT.ph) Pranksters, refrain from making bomb jokes in Quezon City, or you might face hefty fines and jail time after the local government crafted a proposed ordinance penalizing bomb jokes, including those posted on social media.

Mayor Joy Belmonte called on the city council for a stricter ordinance after classes in at least four schools were disrupted by bomb threats, which turned out to be false, according to the Quezon City Police District's Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit. 

The proposed ordinance aims to be stricter than Presidential Decree No. 1727, or the Anti-Bomb Joke Law of 1980, which does not cover social media pranks, 1st District Councilor Dorothy Delarmente told GMA News today, January 30.

"Itong ordinance namin, saklaw dito, dahil bago na ito, mga pranks na ginagawa sa social media at Internet," she said.

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Bomb threat jokes recently disrupted classes in New Era Elementary School, Emilio Jacinto National High School, San Francisco High School, and Ponciano Bernardo High School, said Belmonte.

The prankster at Ponciano Bernardo High School, who impersonated a grade eight Alternative Learning System student when he sent a bomb joke to the high school via Facebook Messenger, has been apprehended and will face charges, the QCPD said.

What you need to know about the proposed QC ordinance on bomb jokes

Under the proposed ordinance, pranksters will be fined P5,000 and will be imprisoned for six months for bomb scare pranks, said Delarmente.

If the prank disrupts school and/or work operations, the fine will be P5,000 multiplied by the number of affected people plus jail time of no more than one year.

Pranksters below age 18 will be brought to the local government's youth home, which is the residential and rehabilitation complex for children in conflict with the law, she said.