E.B. MAGALONA, Negros Occidental — Local authorities and regional police forces have intensified security protocols and launched a probe into a digital threat directed at E.B. Magalona National High School on Tuesday, September 22.
Police Brig. Gen. Rudecindo Reales, regional director of the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), instructed officers to coordinate directly with academic administrators to secure students, faculty, and campus staff while law enforcement works to identify the origin of the message.
Reales emphasized that authorities are handling the situation with urgency while urging community members to remain composed.
“We are taking this reported threat seriously,” Reales said.
“Any suspicious message or information related to this incident should be immediately reported to the police,” he added.
According to Police Capt. Armel Lasap, head of the E.B. Magalona Municipal Police Station, the school principal alerted law enforcement on Tuesday morning. The notification came after a student received a message on Facebook and informed a class adviser.
Although the message did not detail specific targets or plans, it quickly spread across online group chats involving students from the institution.
Law enforcement officers inspected the school grounds and confirmed that no suspicious individuals, items, or activities were found.
Because the sender reportedly utilized a fake social media profile, local police have partnered with the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit to trace the account’s origin.
In response to the incident, Mayor Matthew Louis Malacon suspended classes for the day at both E.B. Magalona National High School and nearby E.B. Magalona Elementary School as a precautionary measure.
The threat occurred just one day after local police conducted a campus security simulation exercise and held a debriefing session with students and teachers.