Pat C. Santos··2 MIN READ
The historic UST Main Building, Asia’s first earthquake-resistant structure, remains a symbol of academic resilience. UST ranked second among Philippine universities in the 2025 Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings, with the highest score in international outlook.
Photo by Tristantamayo, CC
The University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila suspended classes and evacuated students and employees Friday after two bomb threat letters were discovered inside the university's Medicine Building.
According to a Manila Police District (MPD) report, the threats were found in women's restrooms on the second and fourth floors of the building along España Boulevard in Sampaloc.
Police identified the employee who discovered the letters as Annalou Seva Mejia, 42, a member of the university's housekeeping staff.
Mejia told police that a female student from the College of Rehabilitation Sciences informed her about a suspicious letter placed on top of a toilet tank in a fourth-floor restroom.
The letter warned that explosives had been planted on campus and identified the Medicine Building and St. Raymund's Building as possible targets.
Mejia subsequently discovered a second letter containing a similar threat inside a faculty restroom on the second floor.
The incident was reported to campus security and the MPD Police Station 14, prompting university officials to order the evacuation of students and employees at around 5:20 p.m.
Personnel from the MPD Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Canine Unit conducted a search of the Medicine Building, which remained closed and secured during the inspection.
At 7:55 p.m., police declared the premises clear of explosives and other hazardous devices.
No explosives were found during the inspection, according to the police report.
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