More Schools Hit By Attack Threats; DepEd Wants More Security Guards

Classes at the Batangas City Integrated High School were suspended on Monday, June 29, after an unidentified person claiming to be a bullied student threatened to shoot BCIHS students.

According to the Batangas City Police, school officials discovered the threatening messages on the official BCIHS Facebook page at around 9:54 p.m. on Sunday, June 28.

In Negros Occidental, police are also investigating a separate online shooting threat involving students in Escalante City, after screenshots of an online conversation circulated on social media on Monday.

The Batangas messages warned of an attack targeting some students in Grades 7, 8, 9 and 10, claiming the targets had bullied the messenger.

As a precautionary measure, the Department of Education (DepEd) Region 4-A and the school administration immediately ordered the suspension of all classes and on-site school activities to ensure the safety and security of students, teachers and staff.

DepEd added that it is coordinating closely with law enforcement authorities and appealed to the public to remain calm, refrain from spreading unverified information and rely only on announcements issued through the school’s official communication channels.

The agency also urged the public to immediately report suspicious messages, accounts or activities to school authorities or the police.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), meanwhile, said it is looking into the possibility that a bullied student was really behind the alleged school shooting threat.

As of on Monday, investigators have yet to identify the owner of the dummy Facebook account.

“Our investigation is ongoing. We just want to determine who owns that dummy account. At present, we have not found any danger at the school we inspected aside from the threat posted on Facebook,” Batangas City Police public information officer Lt. Sharen Ama said.

The PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group has launched a digital investigation to trace the source of the online threat.

As authorities conduct further investigation, BCIHS announced that regular classes will resume today.

Principal Aida Gutierrez assured the public that the school coordinated with the local government unit and other concerned authorities before deciding to reopen.

“Following a thorough assessment and the implementation of appropriate precautionary measures, the school administration and the LGU assure the public that the school is safe. Everyone is encouraged to remain calm and not be alarmed. The situation is being closely monitored, and additional security measures will continue to be implemented as needed,” she said.

Gutierrez reminded the public not to spread unverified information that could cause unnecessary fear or panic.

DepEd: More security guards needed

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said on Monday he would ask the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for funding to enable the hiring of additional security guards in public schools.

In an interview at the Alfonso Castañeda National High School in Nueva Vizcaya, Angara admitted there is a shortage and “we need funds for our security guards, that is the most important.”

“Before I assumed the position (as Department of Education secretary), there had been a rationalization, so security guards were removed and only 200 were retained. We have 48,000 schools and some schools need more than just one security guard,” he said.

In a statement, the DepEd chief said many local government units (LGUs) and private sector partners have already contributed to the acquisition of closed-circuit television units and other equipment to beef up security in schools.

This was in response to the DepEd’s urgent call for a nationwide School Safety Campaign that involved tighter screening, comprehensive safety audits and psychosocial support mechanisms following recent incidents of campus violence.

In Region 8, following a recent campus shooting in Tacloban City, the Tacloban Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce Inc. pledged to donate 20 metal detectors to the Tacloban City Schools Division Office.

Maasin City SDO reported that its LGU passed a resolution to purchase metal detectors for its high schools and large campuses.

Meanwhile, its parent-teacher associations (PTAs) donated one metal detector to Cabadiangan Elementary School and three metal detectors and four CCTV cameras to Maasin Central School.

In Region 9, six metal detectors were donated to various campuses in SDO Dipolog City from individual benefactors and the Brgy. Estaka Council, alongside four CCTV units given to Mabini Elementary School in SDO Zamboanga Sibugay by the Aboitiz company.

In Iriga City, the Iriga Central School PTA raised P100,000 from a fundraising event to install 24 CCTV cameras with a monitoring system.

In SDO Catanduanes, Panganiban National High School acquired four CCTV units, while Magnesia National High School installed four CCTV units funded through the Special Education Fund. – With Evelyn Macairan, Mark Ernest Villeza, Gilbert Bayoran, Miriam Desacada