Hoax bomb warning resurfaces online for southern Philippine city

A screenshot of what appears to be a private message written in the Visayan language was shared on Facebook on January 30, 2024.

It falsely warns that various locations in Davao, the biggest city in the southern Philippines, "will be bombed this Sunday".

"To all residents of Davao, this source was from a reliable friend who lived in Jolo, Sulo (sic)...Brother, please be on alert there in Davao," the text begins.

It goes on to list a bank, church, market, transport terminal, and shopping malls as apparent targets for the attacks.

The caption claims the bombings would be a "retaliation" for a rally held on January 28 by former president Rodrigo Duterte's supporters in his stronghold of Davao city, where he previously served as mayor (archived link).  

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Screenshot of false post taken on February 19, 2024

AFP reported that during the rally, Duterte launched a foul-mouthed tirade against his successor, President Ferdinand Marcos, over a campaign to change the country's constitution, in the latest sign of a breakdown in relations between their powerful families. 

Davao City Police Office said the alleged bomb threat -- shared widely on Facebook here, here, and here -- was "false".

In a statement shared on its Facebook page, the force warned that "anyone caught and traced spreading irrelevant information concerning terrorist acts and bomb threats will be held liable under Revised Penal Code Article 154 (archived link)."

"We humbly request (sic) not to spread fake news or believe unreliable sources," the office added. 

 Captain Hazel Tuazon, spokesperson for the Davao City Police Office, told AFP on February 20 that it had not received any official intelligence reports of a bomb threat in the city since the beginning of the year.

"We are thankful because as of today, we have not received any security threats in Davao city," she said. 

Recycled message

Keyword searches on Facebook found that the same message was shared in posts in September 2016, one day after a bomb tore through a bustling night market in Davao city (archived link).

Tuazon said no bombing had occurred in the city since then.

The blast killed at least 14 people and led to then-president Duterte imposing a "state of lawlessness" in the country (archived link). 

Militant attacks on buses, Catholic churches and public markets have been a feature of decades-long unrest on Mindanao island, where Davao city is situated.

The misleading bomb threat message recirculated online again in December 2017 after a large fire broke out in a shopping mall, killing nearly 40 people (archived link). 

Hoax bombing warnings in the southern Philippines repeatedly circulate on social media and have been debunked by AFP previously.

Philippine fact-checking organisation Vera Files also fact-checked the latest hoax warning here.