Classes at two schools in E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental, were suspended Tuesday, Sept. 22, after an online message threatening students surfaced, prompting police to tighten security and seek the assistance of the regional anti-cybercrime unit to identify its sender.
The threat, sent through Facebook Messenger and reported at around 10 a.m., warned E.B. Magalona residents of deaths and claimed that no one would be spared.
A screenshot of the message obtained by Digicast Negros showed the sender telling recipients to “prepare” for their lives and threatening to bring death, before ending with a reference to meeting in hell.
Police have yet to establish whether the threat is credible or identify the person behind the account.
E.B. Magalona Police Chief Capt. Armel Lasap said investigators are validating the threat while treating it seriously as authorities work to trace the sender.
“The first thing we are doing is validating the threat and assessing it. We are taking it seriously,” Lasap said.
Lasap said the police are coordinating with the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group’s Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit-Negros Island Region to trace the Facebook account that sent the message.
Police personnel were also deployed to the school as part of intensified security measures, Lasap said.
“We immediately coordinated with the school and the principal and established police presence to ensure the safety of the students,” he said.
Classes at E.B. Magalona National High School and E.B. Magalona Elementary School were suspended as a precaution following consultations among school officials, the local government and police.
Mayor Matthew Louis “Matt” Malacon, in a statement posted online and later deleted, urged residents to remain calm while authorities investigate the threat.
“We are now on top of the situation. We will get to the bottom of all this,” Malacon said.
Malacon said he ordered the suspension of classes at the two schools because the local government did not want to risk the safety of students.
He also said authorities would pursue accountability against whoever was responsible for the message.
“We will not take this issue lightly. We will hold the person responsible for this absurdity or foolishness accountable,” Malacon said.
Vice Mayor Marvin Malacon, the mayor’s father, told the media in a phone interview that the local government would act regardless of whether the message eventually turns out to be a prank.
The vice mayor said dismissing such messages as jokes could set a dangerous precedent, especially when authorities cannot immediately determine whether a threat is genuine.
“We cannot simply take this as a joke because the LGU is serious about taking action,” he said.
He said Mayor Malacon intends to pursue appropriate action against the person responsible once identified.
If the person behind the message turns out to be a minor, the vice mayor said the local government would coordinate on the appropriate action involving the child and the parents or guardians, subject to applicable laws and procedures.
He said Tuesday’s class suspension was a precautionary measure while authorities assessed the situation.
“It is difficult if we act only when it is already too late. We have to be proactive on an issue like this,” the vice mayor said.
The suspension covers Tuesday only for now, he added, with succeeding class arrangements to depend on recommendations from the police and the Department of Education and PNP.
Lasap, meanwhile, urged residents and students not to panic or circulate unverified information and to immediately report threats to authorities.
He said police are continuing their investigation, maintaining security presence around the schools and coordinating with school officials while efforts are underway to identify the person behind the Facebook message.
Similar online threats have previously prompted heightened security and class disruptions in other schools in the Negros Island Region, with police referring digital investigations to RACU-NIR.
In July, authorities also investigated social media threats involving schools in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
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