By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A woman was apprehended by guards late Wednesday afternoon after claiming she had a bomb inside her bag at a shopping mall in the downtown area of Bacolod City.

Police identified the suspect as 43-year-old Mary Joelyn Bamedo, a resident of RPHS DC-2, Barangay Alijis in the said city.

In an official report by Police Station 1 (PS1), mall security guard Tranquilino Espares requested Bamedo to open her shoulder bag as part of a routine inspection. However, Bamedo allegedly expressed anger with the guard and claimed her bag contained a “time bomb.”

Mall security immediately detained Bamedo before she was transported to PS1.

Bamedo later recanted her claims and said she was “only joking.”

Police later released her after being given a stern warning about making “bomb jokes.”

Under Presidential Decree No. 1727, or the Anti-Bomb Joke Law, anyone caught joking about having an explosive device in his or her possession can face a prison sentence of up to five years, along with being assessed a P40,000 fine./DGB, WDJ