POLICE inspect the vicinity of Saint John’s Institute-Hua Ming in Bacolod City following a mass shooting threat on Thursday, March 12. (Adrian Prietos)
BACOLOD CITY – Classes at Saint John’s Institute-Hua Ming here was suspended on Thursday, March 12, following a mass shooting threat that prompted the school to send students home.
Police Major Eugene Tolentino, head of Police Station 2, said that a social media post circulated on Thursday morning saying that a mass shooting will happen in the school due to face-to-face classes.
Tolentino said that a person reported the incident to the police, prompting them to respond around 7:30 a.m.
The school’s premises were immediately cordoned off for inspection and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and Mobile Patrol Units were deployed to the area for augmentation.
The school, in a Facebook post, announced that Thursday classes shifted to online synchronous mode, and on-site classes will resume on Friday, March 13.
“We would like to inform the public that the recent threat at the school has been investigated and found to be false,” the school said.
The school assured that it has taken all the necessary steps to assess the situation and ensure the safety of students, teachers, and staff.
“We want to assure you that everything is under control, and we remain committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for everyone,” it added.
Tolentino said that police are on standby in the area to step up security.
He said they are probing if this threat was recycled or a new one, since face-to-face classes have been going on in the school after the pandemic.
Despite the false threat, Tolentino stressed they still considered it as a serious matter and will continue to probe it.
He said they are tracking the person who originally posted it online.