Leyte student held for online school attack threat
MANILA, Philippines — A 14-year-old student was taken into police custody for allegedly posting on social media a threat to launch a new attack on another Leyte school following the Tacloban City shooting, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Thursday.
In a press briefing in Camp Crame, Remulla bared that Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) operatives took the minor into custody following a tip from Sen. Bam Aquino regarding the female student’s social media post last Wednesday night.
He identified the minor as a female Grade 10 student of the Tolosa National High School. The Inquirer opted not to name her.
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According to Remulla, the post read: “’Hello. Send this to your friends. Yo, from Tolosa, prepare yourselves, especially to you, as you owe me. Get ready. I will disrupt the school.”
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“You won’t know me, but you will recognize me. There is no time nor day. Be prepared for whoever gets shot or stabbed. We don’t care. Good luck to you at Tolosa National High School,” the post added.
The PNP turned over the minor to the Department of Social Welfare and Development and later released since she could not be charged under Republic Act No. 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, Remulla added.
He noted that police investigators found that the minor had allegedly created multiple Facebook accounts to disseminate the threat
“Her identity was confirmed through social media analysis and information from concerned individuals,” the secretary noted.
The minor’s alleged accounts and posts, however, had been deleted once authorities managed to reach her., said Remulla.
“[She] was hesitant and uncooperative due to the fear of repercussions. Her parents, approached by [the] Tolosa [Municipal Police Station], refused to provide information about the incident,” he added.
The DILG chief then noted that “personal and family issues” may have motivated the purported posts.
“Following engagement with their family, the threat appears to be neutralized and inactive. No evidence of an organized plan or involvement of others was found. Neither (the minor) nor her family had access to firearms,” he explained.
“It was possible that she was influenced by a recent shooting in San Jose National High School,” he added.
The San Jose National High School shooting last Monday was carried out by two students, aged 14 and 15. Three students were killed while at least 20 others were wounded.
Remulla maintained that both suspects in the Tacloban case and the minor in the Tolosa case were “avid fans” of the game GoreBox, which has been temporarily banned by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center following the Monday school shooting in Tacloban City. /gsg
