Police in the southern Iloilo town of Tigbauan have traced the school threat that led to the suspension of face-to-face classes last August 20 to a student being bullied.
As per investigation of the Tigbauan Municipal Police Station (MPS),the student being bullied online threatened that what happened at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University would also happen at Tigbauan National High School if the online bullying would not stop.
Captain Alfred Mansoy, officer-in-charge of Tigbauan MPS, said that the threats came from private Facebook messages exchanged between two Grade 10 students.
The content of the alleged threat was then forwarded to others and the information began to spread.
“It caused panic among students, teachers and parents,” Mansoy told Manila Bulletin on Saturday, August 22.
Mansoy said police officers responded to calls made to the police station last August 20 including there was an alleged bomb threat and there was an alleged stabbing incident.
“None of this was true. It was all fake news,” Mansoy pointed out.
The two students and their parents would later have an intervention by the Tigbauan Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO).
On the other hand, Tigbauan MPS is urging for responsible social media use.
“The public is advised to refrain from sharing unverified information on social media and to rely only on official announcements from authorized agencies and school authorities,” said Tigbauan MPS in a statement.
“Tigbauan MPS remains committed to promoting accurate information, maintaining public order, and protecting the community from the harmful effects of misinformation and fake news,” added Tigbauan MPS.