New threat shuts Tacloban school hit by mass shooting

TACLOBAN CITY — Classes at San Jose National High School were suspended on Tuesday, July 14, after an alleged online threat targeting students circulated on social media, prompting police to launch a cyber investigation and tighten security at the campus, which was the scene of one of the country’s deadliest school shootings less than a month ago.

The suspension of in-person classes came after school officials reported to police Monday evening, July 13, a series of threatening messages circulating on Facebook Messenger warning of a possible attack on the school.

The report was filed by a Grade 8 teacher after one of her students forwarded to their class group chat a screenshot of a Messenger conversation allegedly sent from a Facebook account.

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READ: Tacloban school reopens with focus on healing after mass shooting

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In the messages, the account claimed to be a friend of “Nash,” the 14-year-old student accused of being one of the two gunmen in the June 22 campus shooting.

Investigators earlier said Nash allegedly fired most of the shots during the attack. Because he is below the age of criminal responsibility, he was placed under the custody of a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-run rehabilitation facility. His alleged 15-year-old accomplice, meanwhile, is facing three counts of murder, three counts of frustrated murder, and multiple counts of serious physical injuries under the juvenile justice law.

Among the threatening messages were: “Warning kayo bukas” (“Warning tomorrow”), “Magpapaputok ako diyan” (“I will open fire there”), “Mga G8 at G7 lang ang tatargetin namin” (“We will only target Grade 7 and Grade 8 students”), and “Mga 10 kami pupunta diyan” (“About 10 of us will go there”).

The messages also mentioned the names of several individuals, including a student who was allegedly identified as a target.

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According to Cahindo, the messages caused fear and alarm among students, teachers, and school personnel, prompting her to immediately seek police assistance.

READ: Fear lingers as Tacloban school poised to resume classes

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The Tacloban City Police, through San Jose Police Station 1, coordinated with the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit-8 (RACU-8) to trace the source of the messages, identify the person behind the Facebook account, and verify the authenticity of the threats.

Police also coordinated with the school’s principal and barangay officials to implement heightened security measures, including the early deployment of additional police officers around the campus and intensified intelligence monitoring.

Authorities said they are tracing the owner of the Facebook account linked to the threatening messages. As of Tuesday, the investigation was ongoing, and police had not identified any suspect.

School administrators suspended classes as a precaution while authorities assessed the credibility of the threat and secured the campus.

The latest scare came just three weeks after San Jose National High School figured in one of the deadliest campus shootings in the country’s history.

On June 22, two students, aged 14 and 15, allegedly opened fire inside the school, killing three fellow students and injuring 20 others. The attack shocked the nation and renewed calls for stronger security measures in educational institutions.

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Following a two-week suspension, classes at San Jose National High School — which has more than 1,500 students and over 100 teachers — resumed on July 6 under heightened security protocols. /das