16 school threats hit Eastern Visayas after Tacloban shooting

TACLOBAN CITY — At least 16 online threats targeting schools have been recorded by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Eastern Visayas since the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School here that left three students dead and 20 others injured, police said on Thursday.

The threats, many of which prompted schools to suspend classes as a precautionary measure, underscore heightened security concerns among schools in the region following the Tacloban shooting and a subsequent school shooting inside the Junior High School campus of Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City.

Lt. Col. Analiza Armeza, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas (PRO-8), said during a press conference on Thursday that police had monitored 16 school-related threat incidents since the June 22 attack.

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“Based on our record, we have received 16 school threat incidents after the June 22 incident,” Armeza said.

She did not identify the schools that received the threats, saying the cases are still under investigation.

Of the 16 incidents, police identified 10 alleged perpetrators, all of whom were minors. The remaining six suspects have yet to be identified, Armeza said.

“Of the identified, four of them were charged due to bomb threats in relation to Presidential Decree 1727,” she added.

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Presidential Decree 1727 penalizes the unauthorized possession, manufacture, or use of explosives and the dissemination of false information concerning bombs or explosives, including threats or hoaxes involving such devices.

The four charged suspects are among the minors now under the supervision of their respective local social welfare and development offices, as they are considered children in conflict with the law.

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The surge in reported threats came after the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School, which police and authorities have described as one of the most serious school shooting incidents recorded in the country.

READ: School shooting kills 3 students in Tacloban

Two minors, aged 14 and 15, were implicated in the Tacloban attack, which killed three students and injured 20 others. The 15-year-old suspect was charged with three counts of murder, three counts of frustrated murder, and multiple counts of serious physical injuries.

Both suspects are currently in the custody of a rehabilitation facility managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The Tacloban shooting prompted schools across the region to review and tighten their security protocols. Concern over school safety was further heightened by a separate shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City on August 18, where two students were killed, one of them identified as the Grade 10 student suspected of carrying out the attack.

Armeza said the police have since increased their visibility around schools throughout Eastern Visayas.

READ: Manila prelate: turn shooting tragedy into ‘united action’

About 4,520 police personnel have been deployed to 4,018 public schools and 193 private schools across the region, she said.

“The deployment of police personnel to various schools across the region is now part of the regular duty of our police personnel,” Armeza said.

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The PNP said the deployment is intended to strengthen police visibility and help prevent further threats or violent incidents in and around schools as authorities continue to monitor reported threats following the two high-profile school attacks./coa