Online threats put Eastern Samar, Samar schools on heightened alert

TACLOBAN CITY — Two schools in Eastern Visayas have tightened security measures and coordinated with authorities after separate threats circulated online, underscoring continuing concerns over school safety following the deadly shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City in June.

Samar Colleges, Inc. in Catbalogan City and Llorente National High School in Llorente, Eastern Samar, issued separate statements on Friday, August 28, assuring students, faculty, employees and parents that authorities were responding to the reported threats.

At Samar Colleges, the school said it had learned of a social media threat allegedly made by a person identified as “Jeonard Obing” who supposedly intended to take revenge against the school for giving a failing grade.

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The school said it found no record of the individual in its database of past and present students but nonetheless treated the threat as serious, particularly in light of recent incidents of violence in schools.

Samar Colleges said it immediately reported the threat to police through a blotter and coordinated with law enforcement authorities and the Catbalogan City government.

It also heightened security controls at all campus entrances, including mandatory body and bag checks, and deployed metal detectors to prevent firearms and other weapons from being brought onto school premises.

The school’s guidance counselors, faculty members and discipline officers were likewise instructed to monitor students exhibiting violent tendencies, unusual behavior or other warning signs that could potentially lead to violence.

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“We shall prevail,” Samar Colleges board chair and president Rhea Cea Piazon said in the school’s Aug. 28 statement, while urging stakeholders to remain vigilant.

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In Llorente, the Schools Division of Eastern Samar also issued an official statement on a reported threat involving Llorente National High School.

The Department of Education said it immediately addressed the reported threat and coordinated closely with the Philippine National Police and local authorities.

The division said it continues to enforce its zero-tolerance policy against bullying, harassment and security threats, whether these occur within school grounds or in the digital space.

It also cited strengthened protection protocols, including heightened inter-agency security, active child protection committees and strengthened cyber-safety advocacy.

The DepEd statement urged parents, learners and community stakeholders to remain calm and vigilant, while warning against spreading unverified information online.

The Llorente statement’s subject line refers to a reported “bomb threat,” while its body describes the incident as an alleged shooting threat. Authorities have not publicly confirmed that an actual explosive device was found at the school.

The latest incidents come more than two months after the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, where two students, aged 14 and 15, allegedly opened fire on their classmates. Three students were killed and at least 20 others were injured.

The shooting, one of the country’s rare deadly school attacks, prompted calls for tighter security in schools and greater attention to threats and warning signs involving students. The suspects, who are both minors, are under the custody of the Department of  Social Welfare and Development though the 15-year-old was charged for murder counts and multiple serious injuries.

Since then, reports of threats circulated through social media have heightened anxiety among schools, parents and students in Eastern Visayas, with school officials increasingly turning to police coordination, access controls, threat assessment and cyber-safety measures.

The incidents also highlight the challenge faced by schools in distinguishing between idle or malicious online posts and credible threats. Both Samar Colleges and DepEd-Eastern Samar stressed that threats must be taken seriously while authorities determine their credibility.

Samar Colleges said its security measures were intended not only to respond to the latest threat but also to deter anyone from attempting to carry out an attack.

The school emphasized that the safety and well-being of its students, faculty and employees remain its paramount concern.

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Meanwhile, DepEd-Eastern Samar appealed to the public to rely on verified information from school authorities and designated emergency channels rather than spreading unverified reports online. /das