21 students collapse in alleged mass hysteria incident

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – Twenty-one senior high school students from a private school reportedly fainted during an alleged case of mass hysteria on Wednesday night in Barangay Sagua Banwa, Valladolid, Negros Occidental.

Al John Gegonia, operations and warning officer of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), said in a phone interview on Thursday that the incident happened during the school’s intramural games, which gathered around 200 Grade 11 and 12 students from campuses in Valladolid, Bacolod City, and Ilog.

The event began with a morning parade followed by various sports competitions.

After the day’s activities, teachers advised students to stay overnight in tents since their campuses were located far from Valladolid, which served as this year’s host for the intramurals.

At around 5 p.m., a power outage occurred following heavy rainfall.

By 8 p.m., local rescuers received a distress call reporting that several students were feeling dizzy and unwell.

Some of the students were temporarily brought to St. John Paul Church in Barangay Zone 1, Tabao Proper, before being allowed to go home.

The affected students were immediately taken to a hospital and were discharged the following day.

“Based on our findings, the incident was classified as a mass hysteria episode,” Gegonia said.

“It appeared to be a domino effect triggered by emotional stress, fatigue, and fear, which led to panic among the students,” he added.

He said that while the MDRRMO closely monitored the area—since the school is located near their office—there was no prior coordination with their team, only with the barangay.

In response to the incident, psychological debriefings were conducted for students, teachers, and parents to help them cope and to emphasize the importance of proper coordination and safety planning for future school events.

Gegonia said classes were suspended on Thursday to allow students time to rest and recover.