The Commission on Elections (Comelec) received on Wednesday morning a bomb threat alledgedly in relation to a certain Miriam, who officials assume is re-electionist senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Virginia Bayer, an employee of the poll body's Education and Information Department (EID), said that a male caller called the Comelec hotline at around 9:55 a.m. He angrily told Bayer that a bomb was planted at the 3rd floor of the building, as "protesta para kay Miriam," then immediately hung up.

The EID is the only Comelec department located at the 3rd floor of the Shipping Center building. The rest of the poll body's departments are situated at the 7th and 8th floors of the Palacio del Gobernador building.

Both the Comelec organic security and the Philippine National Police (PNP) searched the whole floor, but found no signs of bomb. The bomb threat was dismissed at 11 a.m.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told reporters that the "Miriam" that the caller was referring to could be Senator Santiago, who's facing a disqualification case.

The commission on Monday heard the disqualification case filed against the reelectionist senator. The petitioner, lawyer Nombraan Pangcoga, said the senator is of "unsound mind" and therefore unqualified for the elective post.

"But I don't see how this is connected with the disqualification case [against Santiago]," Jimenez said.

He said that they would have difficulty tracing the origin of the call due to lack of caller ID or other security measures at the building. All security measures, including installation of CCTV cameras and placement of K9 dogs, are placed at the Palacio del Gobernador building. The Palacio del Gobernador building houses among other the commissioner's office and the law department.

This bomb threat is the first received by the department, and also the first received by the poll body in relation with the 2010 polls. (Newsbreak)

Jimenez said that a threat to the poll body, whether serious or a prank, will be taken seriously especially as the May elections come near.