DepEd Eastern Visayas pushes for stricter consequences vs. students threatening to attack schools

The Department of Education (DepEd) regional office here is pushing for stricter consequences against students who threaten to attack schools, following a series of fake shooting and bomb alerts received by schools in Eastern Visayas.

DepEd Eastern Visayas Regional Director Salustiano Jimenez said authorities need to take stronger action against students who make threats, even as jokes, following the deadly attack at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City on June 22, 2026.

“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. Students must take alerts seriously and be dealt with accordingly,” Jimenez said in an interview Monday.

He said fake alerts trigger emergency responses, create panic and disrupt classes.

Jimenez is proposing that students who initiate fake alerts be admitted to rehabilitation centers as a deterrent to others.

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

Jimenez said several schools in Eastern Visayas have received threats of violent attacks since the June 22 shooting in Tacloban.

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

Among the schools that received alerts were Kapuso Village Elementary School, Sto. Niño SPED Center, Holy Infant College and Leyte National High School in Tacloban City; Eastern Samar National Comprehensive High School in Borongan City, Eastern Samar; Calubian National High School and Kananga National High School in Leyte; and Allen National High School in Northern Samar.

Earlier, the DepEd central office warned that students who make bomb threats —even as jokes— would be barred from enrolling in their schools the following year.

Under DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026, signed by Secretary Sonny Angara in March, bomb threats and bomb jokes are classified as third-level offenses, the highest tier under the department’s guidelines for a safe learning environment. Other acts classified under this tier include carrying firearms, drug possession, hazing and homicide.

For bomb threats or jokes, a first offense will result in non-readmission, meaning the student may finish the current school year but will not be allowed to enroll the following year. The student will also be referred to relevant agencies, such as the Philippine National Police and the Social Welfare and Development Office.

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

-Sarwell Meniano/Philippine News Agency