Last July 3, 2025, UP Diliman conducted its first bomb threat drill and orientation at Pilar Herrera Hall, Palma Hall, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, UP Diliman. The drill and orientation event was a cross-partnership between UP Resilience Institute (UPRI), the UP Diliman College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (UPD-CSSP), and the Philippine National Police – Explosive Ordnance Disposal and K9 Group (PNP-EOD/K9 Group). This activity aimed to prepare the faculty, students, and staff of UPD-CSSP with knowledge on properly handling Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in case these are found inside building premises.
The event started with an orientation program on bomb threat management at 8:00 AM. UPRI Director Dr. Alfredo Mahar Fransisco A. Lagmay gave his opening remarks, thanking UPD-CSSP and various offices within and outside UP Diliman for their support and participation in the drill. This was followed by another opening speech of the Dean of UP-CSSP, Dr. Ruth Lusterio-Rico, who thanked UPRI and the UP Diliman community for choosing CSSP as the first college department to attempt a drill of this nature. After a brief introduction to the event, the program hosts Franklin Joshua Gali and Edward Andrew Dionido gave out a pre-test form to test the knowledge of the participants.
Following the pretest, the orientation proper began. Police Major (PMaj) David Gundayao , Jr. from the PNP – EOD/K9 Unit gave a comprehensive lecture session on the basics of bomb threat management. Gundayao discussed the basic components of an IED and how it works, how bomb threat incidents are managed from a non-bomb expert standpoint, and how to evacuate civilians from the location of the IED.
After the lecture session, the event participants proceeded to conduct the bomb threat drill. The Associate Dean of CSSP, Prof. Raymund Arthur Abejo, assumed the position of Incident Commander (IC) alongside the other ICS Team. Various safety and security offices from UP Diliman such as the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA), the Public Safety and Security Office, Special Services Brigade, Transportation Management Office, UP Health Services, and Barangay UP Campus – Krus na Ligas Fire Team also participated in the drill simulations. Additionally, The Bureau of Fire Protection – Special Rescue Force (BFP – SRF), PNP Station 9, PNP EOD/K9 Group, Quezon City Citizen Service Department, and Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office also offered their support to create a more realistic simulation for the campus.
The bomb threat drill commenced at 10:00 AM, simulating a call of a discovered IED strategically planted within the CSSP Campus vicinity. The exercise concluded successfully after the PNP EOD/K9 Unit safely neutralized the device, and students were guided back to campus following the official all clear signal.
An evaluation and debriefing followed the drill with the participating personnel. While the UPRI evaluations team are giving feedback on the simulation proceedings, the drill participants were encouraged to answer a short post-test and evaluations form to improve the orientation and drill facilitation conducted by UPRI.
The UP Resilience Institute facilitated the debriefing, headed by the Institution Building (IB) Director Dr. Carlos Primero Gundran alongside PMaj David Gumayao, Jr. and the UPRI Observers Team. Best practices and suggestions were discussed. The importance of a systematic evacuation plan and better communication strategies was noted for improvements for what they stated as “a safer UP Campus”.
To end the orientation-drill event, Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Prof. Jerwin Agpaoa gave his closing remarks. He emphasized that the bomb threat drill highlighted the improvements that the University needs to make in terms of the overall safety and security of the campus. He also stated that the administration will invest in equipment and security personnel training of UP Diliman to ensure that the campus will be ready for emergency responses both material-wise and manpower-wise.
Moving forward, Agpaoa assured that the OVCCA will be in full support for other initiatives that will ensure the safety of UP Diliman constituents. “We look forward to having more of these [drills]… [PMaj Gumayao], magsabi lang po kayo if you want to host your other drills para mapalawak ang kaalaman ng lahat (We look forward to having more of these [drills]… [PMaj Gumayao], let us know if you want to host other drills of this nature to expand everyone’s knowledge on the topic,” he affirmed. The event ended at 12:30 PM.
Simulating hazards, even of the anthropogenic kind, helps the university test and improve existing response systems and coordination, fostering safety and vigilance among staff and students. With the first bomb threat drill in UP Diliman being a success, UP Resilience Institute hopes to conduct more disaster preparedness drills for different hazards in the future.
