CEBU CITY – Classes were suspended in a school in Talibon, Bohol when several students were allegedly possessed by spirits.
But Talibon Mayor Janette Garcia said that what happened at the San Jose National High School (SJNHS) was a case of mass hysteria.
On Friday morning, September 15, several students trembled and fainted while attending a Mass inside the school campus.
Teachers tried to calm down the students.
Some of the students manifested unusual strength before passing out.
A student claimed that something heavy was hanging on to her while another claimed seeing a black figure trying to enter her body.
The students were rushed to the Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital (GMPH) in Talibon.
Citing Dr. Miguelito Jayoma, chief of GMPH, Garcia said that what happened in the school was mass hysteria, which is also known as mass dissociative phenomena.
The phenomenon usually happens in young individuals who are experiencing anxiety or fear.
In a Facebook post, Garcia said there were 135 students, mostly females, who were rushed to the hospital.
There were at least 250 victims but some of them were not brought to the hospital after they were immediately attended to by personnel of the Regional Health Unit led by Dr. Carlo Chua.
Two students were confined in the hospital while the rest had been sent home.
School principal Edwin Corbita immediately ordered the suspension of classes due to the incident.
Garcia urged the public to avoid spreading false information to prevent causing fear among parents and students.