A passenger at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was arrested after making a bomb joke while boarding his flight on Thursday, August 30.
In a statement, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) reported that the passenger, identified as Saidona Singgon, was arrested after another group of passengers onboard Philippine Airlines Flight PR2959 bound to Cotabato City reported him to the crew of the plane.
The crew immediately called the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group.
Following the report, the authorities asked the passengers who are already seated to temporarily leave the plane for inspection. No bomb was found, however, the flight was delayed.
The passenger who made the bomb joke was arrested and could face jail term of at least five years and/or pay a hefty fine of Php40,000.
Singgon was identified as an employee of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) in the ARMM region.
Meanwhile, PAL apologized to passengers who were affected by the delay due to the bomb joke.
“PAL apologizes for the inconvenience to the rest of the passengers, who had to disembark so that authorities could inspect the aircraft thoroughly,” PAL said.
What was the joke? I like “The odds of there being a bomb on a plane are a billion to one. The odds of there being two bombs on a plane are a trillion to one. The moral is, “Always bring your own bomb.””