Cotabato elementary student yields for posting online security threat

KIDAPAWAN CITY, North Cotabato — A female elementary student here who circulated a security threat on social media yielded to the police on Thursday afternoon.

Lt. Col. Argie Celeste, Kidapawan City police chief, said the student, accompanied by her father, surrendered to authorities for fear of her life.

The girl admitted posting the security threat on Wednesday afternoon, causing alarm to the public and several schools, which canceled face-to-face classes and shifted to asynchronous modality on Thursday.

Celeste said the student posted the security threat copied from Instagram allegedly to get the attention of her parents, who are separated.

The minor is now under the protective custody of the Kidapawan City police and will be turned over to the City Social Welfare and Development Office for psycho-social intervention.

Celeste said they have closely coordinated with the Cotabato Provincial Police Cyber Response Team to possibly remove the posts that alarmed the general public.

“We encourage everyone to remain calm, avoid sharing unverified information and rely on official announcements from the PNP. Your safety and security remain our top priority,” the official said.