The Taguig police and the Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Cybercrime Group have identified the persons who posted bomb threats and intent to kill students in Taguig last Nov. 7.

In a press conference on Nov. 14, Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano, Taguig police chief Col. Robert Baesa, and Lt. Col. Jay Guillermo of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group presented the findings of the investigation.

Classes were canceled and parents panicked when a Facebook account under the name Sofia Smith commented and made threats on a post by the Taguig City government.

“Papatayin ko lahat ng mga estudyante sa taguig signal village taguig city (I will kill all students at Taguig Signal Village Taguig City),” Sofia Smith posted.

She added, “Kagaya ng nangyare sa thailand humanda kayo magpapasabog ako dyan sa signal papaptyin ko kayong lahat. Lahat ng estudyante (Like what happened in Thailand, be prepared and I will detonate a bomb there at Signal, I will kill you all. All students).”

“Papatayin ko lahat ng mga estudyante sa sa signal humanda kayong lahat hahaha papatyin ko lahat lahat (I will kill all students at Signal. Be prepared hahaha I will kill everyone),” the account wrote.

The police did not find any bomb in different schools in Taguig but launched an investigation to identify the suspects.

Based on the investigation, the cell phone number used to log in to the Sofia Smith Facebook account turned out to be a resident of Barangay Central Signal in Taguig.

Guillermo said the cell phone number is owned by a 16-year-old Grade 9 female student of Signal Village National High School in Taguig.

He said they obtained a cybercrime search warrant from the regional trial court that allowed them to enter the house of the suspect and seize the cell phones of the suspect and her companions.

“Patuloy ang isinasagawang forensic examination sa mga cell phones (The forensic examination is being continued on the seized cell phones),” he added.

The investigation also revealed that several accounts logged in to the Sofia Smith account.

Baesa said they believe that besides the 16-year-old student, there were other people who were involved in sending bomb threats.

“Lumalabas na merong galit sa school at ilang teachers ang mga nagbabanta kaya nagawa nila ang posts ng pananakot (It turned out that those who made threats were angry at the school and several teachers, the reason why they made the threatening posts),” said Baesa.

He said one of them was a former street sweeper who was terminated by the Taguig City government.

Baesa said they are preparing to charge “Sofia Smith” and her companions with grave threat, bomb scare threat, and act of terrorism, which can mete them imprisonment of up to 12 years.

Cayetano appealed to the public to refrain from taking any actions against Smith and companions.

She warned people from making similar posts about bomb threats and killing.

“What we post and share have real impact on the lives of real people,” she said.