TACLOBAN CITY — Two public high schools in Calubian, Leyte, suspended classes on Monday, Aug. 24, after threats of a possible shooting circulated on social media, prompting police and school officials to step up security and verify the credibility of the posts.
Calubian National High School (CNHS) and Felix Caneja Lafuente National High School (FCLNHS), which have a combined enrollment of more than 800 students, issued separate advisories suspending classes as a precautionary measure.
School officials coordinated with the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Calubian following reports of online posts warning of possible violence at the campuses.
At CNHS, police personnel were deployed to maintain a 24-hour presence on campus as part of measures to protect students, teachers and other school personnel while authorities assessed the situation.
Authorities urged students, parents and other members of the community to avoid sharing or amplifying unverified posts, saying these could cause unnecessary fear and confusion.
Students and school personnel were also advised to immediately report suspicious activities or information to school officials or law enforcement authorities instead of attempting to verify or investigate threats themselves.
The precautionary measures came amid heightened concerns over school safety following two deadly shooting incidents involving students in the country in recent months.
On June 22, three students were killed and 20 others injured in a shooting at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City.
Two minors were arrested in connection with the incident and placed under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. One of them was subsequently charged with three counts of murder and multiple counts of frustrated murder.
The Tacloban shooting prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to order a thorough investigation and stronger security measures in schools and other public places.
Concerns over campus security were again raised on Aug. 18 after a shooting at the junior high school campus of Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City. A Grade 10 student and the suspected Grade 9 gunman were killed in the incident. Authorities said the attack was livestreamed on social media.
The two incidents, occurring less than two months apart, have heightened concerns about school security and the speed at which threats and disturbing content can spread online.
In Calubian, however, school officials stressed that the suspension was a precautionary step and did not necessarily mean that the online threats had been confirmed as credible.
Authorities continued to assess the threats and monitor the situation while school administrators appealed to parents and students to remain calm and rely only on verified announcements from school officials and law enforcement agencies.
JOEY A. GABIETA, ROEL T. AMAZONA
