Facade of the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City (File photo)
MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said it is now tracking the person who threatened to kill students and bomb a school in Barangay Signal Village in Taguig City.
PNP spokesperson, Col. Jean Fajardo, said they will ask the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) for the possible identification of the uploader/sender of the threatening messages, and appropriate charges will be filed against the suspect.
“We will refer this to PNP ACG for possible identification of the uploader/sender of the threatening messages and local police for appropriate police intervention,” Fajardo told reporters when sought for comment.
A certain Sofia Smith posted comments on a Facebook live video of an event of the Taguig City government, saying she will kill all students of the Signal Village National High School.
A screenshot of these comments was posted by a netizen which went viral on social media.
"Kagaya ng nangyare sa Thailand humanda kayo magpapasabog ako dyan sa Signal papatayin ko kayong lahat (Just like what happened in Thailand, be prepared. I will make a bomb explode there is Signal. I will kill all of you)," one of her posts read.
Classes were suspended due to Smith's threats, and authorities immediately deployed a Special Weapons and Tactics team.
Policemen and a bomb squad were also deployed to secure the school premises and check the buildings and the vicinity for any explosive devices.
No bomb or explosive device was found during the operation, the city government said.
On Monday, the Taguig City government warned the public against circulating threats on social media, and encouraged everyone to refrain from sharing false information that tends to cause panic and alarm in the community.
Police authorities have coordinated with the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group to identify the culprit.
Meanwhile, Fajardo also warned the public against the "Ikaw ba 'tong nasa video?' circulating in social media, wherein if clicked, will lead to a potential phishing scheme.
“Kung hindi nyo po kilala yung TikTok owners, 'yung mga Facebook account na nagpapadala sa inyo ng spam messages, 'wag ninyo na pong i-click (If you do not know the TikTok owner the Facebook account that will send you spam messages, please do not click)," Fajardo said.
She said that the link diverts the user to another page or account, that will ask you to fill up details and may gain access to one's personal and bank accounts. (PNA)
