Bacolod school suspends classes over shooting threat

BACOLOD CITY — Another school received an alleged shooting threat, prompting authorities to suspend classes at a public high school here Tuesday.

Capt. Greeky Cayao, head of Police Station 9, said police received a report Monday night regarding a social media post targeting Sum-ag National High School.

The online post did not specify an individual or group but identified the school as an alleged shooting target.

Another post was later made mentioning the name of a person reportedly behind the alleged threat and claiming it was only made for social media reels.

Cayao said police already have a person of interest and are further investigating the incident.

The person named in the post is also undergoing verification.

“We are exploring all angles,” Cayao said, acknowledging similarities between the alleged threat and other incidents in recent months.

“May pattern ang messages sa iban na messages,” he said.

Cayao said teachers worked from home Tuesday, with regular classes expected to resume Wednesday.

The incident followed alleged threats reported Monday at two public high schools in Bago City and Victorias City, Negros Occidental.

In a statement, Victorias City National High School acknowledged an alleged threat circulated online from an unidentified Facebook account, which alarmed students and parents.

The school administration said the incident was reported to police and the Office of Barangay V, both of which expressed willingness to coordinate with the school.

As precautionary measures, heightened security, increased police visibility and stricter inspections at school entrances and exits are expected.

Classes proceeded as scheduled, but parents and guardians were allowed to exercise discretion in deciding whether to send their children to school while awaiting further updates from the school and authorities.

The school urged everyone to remain calm, vigilant and cooperative.

“Suspicious messages or materials should be preserved and promptly reported to the police, the barangay, or the school head.”

Everyone was also advised against confronting or attempting to identify the account holder independently.

The school assured the community that it is closely coordinating with authorities to address potential security risks.

It stressed that the safety and welfare of everyone remain its utmost priority, alongside its commitment to the continuity of learning.

The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region earlier warned that threats of violence, whether made online or offline, are matters of serious concern and will be dealt with in accordance with the law.