Police track source of false Kabankalan school bomb threat

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Authorities are working to identify the person behind a social media post containing a false bomb threat against Bantayan National High School in Barangay Bantayan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, on Wednesday.

Police Lt. Gilbert Alunan, deputy chief of the Kabankalan City Police Station, said the school’s intramural activities were disrupted that afternoon after the bomb threat circulated on social media, causing fear and alarm among students, teachers, and parents.

Police immediately responded and searched the school grounds for explosives before conducting a follow-up security sweep Thursday and declaring the campus clear of any threat.

Alunan said school officials could not identify anyone who might have a motive to target the school.

Before the bomb threat surfaced, two students were involved in a fistfight that prompted school staff to halt the afternoon activities.

Alunan said police have coordinated with the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit to help identify the person who posted the false bomb threat online.

He said authorities could not speculate on whether a student or someone outside the school was behind the post.

The incident follows a reported school shooting threat involving a student in Kabankalan City about two weeks earlier.

Alunan said the student involved in that case has been identified and is being assessed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Alunan reminded the public that prank threats are serious offenses punishable by law.

Under Presidential Decree No. 1727, willfully making bomb threats or knowingly disseminating false information about explosives is punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to PHP 40,000, or both.

Alunan warned that similar threats could create safety risks and cause unnecessary alarm in the community.

Meanwhile, the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod has approved two resolutions calling for stronger measures to protect students, teachers, school personnel, and visitors at public and private educational institutions across the city following recent school shootings in the country.

Authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, the first resolution urges the Bacolod City Police Office, the Department of Education’s Schools Division of Bacolod City, the Commission on Higher Education, concerned barangays, and all public and private educational institutions to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of gun-free school zones, citing Republic Act No. 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, and other applicable laws and regulations.

The second resolution calls for an immediate and comprehensive assessment of campus security, access control, and emergency response protocols at all educational institutions in the city.

The proposed assessment would cover entry and exit controls, visitor identification and management, deployment of security personnel, closed-circuit television systems, emergency communication and alarm systems, perimeter security, measures to detect and prevent the entry of firearms and other deadly weapons, evacuation and lockdown procedures, and coordination with police and emergency responders.

Distrito said the measures were prompted by the Aug. 18 shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University Junior High School campus and the fatal June 22 school shooting in Tacloban City.

The Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting left two students dead, while the shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City left three students dead.

“We should not wait for a similar tragedy to happen in Bacolod before we act,” Distrito said.

He stressed that schools must remain places where children can learn, grow, and pursue their dreams without fear for their safety.

Distrito said the resolutions are preventive measures intended to strengthen coordination among schools, police, barangays, emergency responders, parents, and the wider community.

He stressed that improving school security does not mean creating an atmosphere of fear on campuses but ensuring reasonable safeguards are in place and that schools and authorities are prepared to respond effectively to emergencies.

“The safety of our students must always be paramount,” Distrito said.

He also stressed that keeping firearms and deadly weapons out of schools, strengthening access controls, and ensuring every institution has clear and workable emergency protocols are practical steps that can save lives.

“Prevention and preparedness must always come before tragedy.”