Fake bomb, shooting threats disrupt classes in Eastern Visayas

Posted on August 30, 2026 at 3:43 pm

Tacloban City — Several schools in Eastern Visayas have received fake shooting and bomb alerts since the June 22 shooting at San Jose National High School here, forcing school officials to deal with threats that, in some cases, were reportedly made by students wanting classes suspended.

Department of Education (DepEd) Eastern Visayas Regional Director Salustiano Jimenez said the alerts have caused panic among students and teachers and disrupted classes as schools and authorities respond to each report.

“We are in coordination with the Philippine National Police and other agencies on what to do with students who jokingly threaten to launch violence inside campuses,” Jimenez said in an interview Monday, August 17, 2026.

He said threats should not be dismissed as jokes because authorities still have to check them out and make sure students and personnel are safe.

Jimenez said some of the fake alerts were apparently made by students who wanted classes called off, including those who were not prepared for examinations.

“Sometimes these fake alerts are initiated by students who just want class suspension since they are not ready to take examinations,” he said.

Schools that received alerts included Kapuso Village Elementary School, Sto. Niño SPED Center, Holy Infant College and Leyte National High School in Tacloban City.

Other schools were Eastern Samar National Comprehensive High School in Borongan City; Calubian National High School and Kananga National High School in Leyte; and Allen National High School in Northern Samar.

The reports have added to the concerns of schools following the June 22 shooting in Tacloban.

For school officials, even a threat later found to be false cannot simply be ignored. Each report has to be taken seriously, which can mean disrupting classes while authorities check the situation.

Jimenez said DepEd is discussing with the PNP and other agencies what action should be taken against students who make threats, even if they claim they were only joking.

He is also proposing that students who make fake alerts be sent to rehabilitation centers.

“Movement is restricted inside a rehabilitation center and nobody wants to be there,” Jimenez said.

DepEd has already imposed stiff penalties for bomb threats and bomb jokes.

Under DepEd Order No. 006, series of 2026, bomb threats and bomb jokes are considered third-level offenses, the highest category under the department’s guidelines for maintaining a safe learning environment.

Other offenses in this category include carrying firearms, drug possession, hazing and homicide.

A student who makes a bomb threat or bomb joke for the first time may finish the current school year but will not be allowed to enroll the following year. The case may also be referred to the Philippine National Police and social welfare authorities.

A second offense may result in exclusion, meaning the student is immediately dropped from the school’s class list.

For DepEd officials, the recent alerts are a reminder that threats made inside schools can have consequences beyond a suspension of classes. They can send students and teachers into a panic and require authorities to respond even when the threat turns out to be false.

Photo by: Rolly Magallanes | The Vanguard