Two schools in Bais City, Negros Oriental, suspended classes on Wednesday, Aug. 19, after separate threats circulated through social media and text messages, police said.
Capt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson of the Negros Oriental Police, said the Negros Oriental State University (NORSU) – Bais campus and the Bais National High School evacuated students, teachers, and other personnel as a precaution.
“The Bais City Police, together with the local government and school administrators, immediately conducted verification and deployed field training personnel or police recruits to the campuses,” Polinar said.
He said the police recruits, who are still completing their training before receiving permanent appointments, do not carry issued firearms.
Students had already arrived at the schools when police received information about the purported threats.
At NORSU-Bais, a Facebook post claimed that a student was planning to harm a teacher and some classmates who were allegedly “sipsip” (teacher’s pets) after he failed three subjects.
Polinar said the account appeared to be fictitious, but police are coordinating with the Negros Oriental Police’s Cyber Crime Unit to trace its owner.
Meanwhile, a report that a male Grade 7 student of the Bais National High School was carrying a firearm inside the campus turned out to be false. Police found no firearm, gun, or toy in the student’s possession.
In Bayawan City, police also warned individuals who reposted a private message that circulated on Tuesday evening.
The message urged people not to attend school the following day because of an alleged shooting threat at a senior high school institution in the city.
Polinar said police have identified at least two individuals who publicly shared the message. The posts have since been deleted.
He reminded the public to verify information before sharing it, particularly posts that could cause fear or panic.
He warned that spreading unverified information that creates fear and panic may constitute an offense and could be a basis for filing a complaint against those responsible.*PNA
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