Manila: The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday lauded the efforts of the Philippine National Police (PNP) against hoax school threats. DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara commended the PNP for its swift action to uphold the safety and well-being of learners, in line with the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
According to Philippines News Agency, Angara expressed gratitude towards the PNP and the security sector for their immediate response in identifying and holding accountable those responsible for spreading online threats in schools. He emphasized the importance of a whole-of-community approach to counter these disruptive activities, urging parents, teachers, and the entire community to guide and protect students.
Those behind school threat hoaxes are expected to face legal and administrative penalties under campus safety policies. This is in accordance with Article 282 (Grave Threats) of the Revised Penal Code, Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, Presidential Decree No. 1727 or the Anti-Bomb Joke Law, and DepEd Order No. 006, series of 2026, or the Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment (ESMLE).
Under the ESMLE, bomb threats and bomb jokes are classified as third-level offenses due to the grave risk to safety and learning continuity. The first infraction results in non-readmission and referral to appropriate government interventions, while a second one carries the penalty of exclusion and referral to the proper authorities.
The PNP has been conducting operations in several provinces, prompting criminal proceedings. These include an inquest proceeding involving seven 15-year-old learners before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor, following a social media post of a violence threat against learners at Tinajero National High School Annex in Magalang, Pampanga.
An 18-year-old suspect was also arrested in Jaen, Nueva Ecija, for circulating online bomb threats against multiple public and private schools in San Ildefonso, Bulacan. Another 18-year-old learner was apprehended after posting a hoax threat intended to suspend classes at San Felipe Integrated School in Nueva Ecija.
Besides these, at least 16 digital devices were seized from a woman in Barangay Paradahan 1, following an online threat aimed at a school in Tanza, Cavite. The confiscated items under police warrant will be examined in connection with violations of Article 282 (Grave Threats) of the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
