Consolacion and Talisay City officials heightened security in schools on Monday after screenshots of an online threat circulated on social media, prompting investigations by local police and cybercrime authorities.
In Consolacion, face-to-face classes were temporarily suspended in several public schools following requests from school heads to allow authorities to assess the credibility of the posts and ensure the safety of students and school personnel.
Mayor Teresa “Nene” Alegado said the local government opted to prioritize safety while investigators verified the source of the circulating messages.
“That was upon the request of the head teachers. Some of the school heads ni-request nga ila lang sa’ng e-settle… dili sa nato pwede nga ato lang ibalewala. We really have to do investigation,” Alegado told reporters.
The suspension covered Consolacion National High School, San Narciso School, Tayud National High School and Elementary School, Tolotolo National High School and Elementary School, and Tugbongan National High School and Elementary School.
Affected schools shifted to modular and other alternative learning modalities while authorities conducted their investigation.
Alegado said she received copies of the screenshots Sunday night through forwarded messages. Although she initially believed the posts might simply be another social media hoax, she said the municipality could not afford to dismiss them.
“Akong hunahuna dili ni tagaan og pagtagad kay mao naman ni uso… But secondly, let us not also take this for granted,” she said.
She immediately coordinated with the municipal police chief and school officials, who disclosed that some students had recently been reprimanded over cellphone-related incidents, prompting investigators to also examine whether the viral posts were connected to retaliation.
The investigation eventually led authorities to a student from a private school in Barangay Casili who had reposted one of the screenshots.
The student denied creating the message, saying it had merely been forwarded before being shared.
“Ni-deny ang bata nga dili to iya. It was also forwarded to here unya iya ra’ng gi-share. It’s sad because it really spread to the extent nga naabot pa gani sa Liloan,” Alegado said.
Although initial police findings found no immediate physical threat, the municipal government deployed additional police officers and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel to schools while coordinating with cybercrime investigators.
By Monday afternoon, Consolacion announced that regular face-to-face classes would resume Tuesday after authorities determined there was no immediate danger to students.
Police also identified a TikTok account using the display name “Charlie Kirk” as the apparent source of the message received by a local student, although the account holder’s identity has yet to be established.
The Consolacion Police Station is coordinating with the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group to trace the account and identify the individual responsible for the circulating posts.
Alegado said the municipality would also study possible local measures to address similar incidents and strengthen safeguards against the misuse of social media.
“I will ask my legislative department to study more what is very applicable at this point in time… We will not take this for granted,” she said.
Meanwhile, Talisay City kept classes in session but ordered heightened security in schools while police verified whether the online posts referred to any campus within the city.
Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas said the screenshots mentioned only school acronyms and did not specifically identify schools in Talisay.
Despite this, the city increased police visibility, conducted campus inspections, and coordinated with school administrators as a precaution.
Gullas also urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified information and instead report suspicious activities directly to authorities as investigations continue.
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