The Taguig City government has called on netizens to refrain from sharing false information which tends to cause panic and alarm in the community.
The call came after a Facebook post of an alleged bomb threat went viral, triggering fear and alarm among residents, particularly parents and relatives of students and personnel of Signal Village National High School.
“The Philippine National Police, Special Weapons and Tactics team, and the bomb squad deployed personnel to the school. They secured the premises and checked the buildings and their vicinity for any explosive device,” the city’s Public Information Office stated.
“No bomb or explosive was found during the sweeping operation, contrary to information spreading online,” it added.
The local government appealed for calm and sobriety. “Together with the Philippine National Police, the city government will continue ensuring the safety of everyone.”
Taguig police chief Col. Robert Baesa said a dummy social media account bearing the name Sofia Smith commented on the school’s Facebook Live and threatened to kill all the students “like what happened in Thailand.”
The afternoon classes in the school were suspended because of the bomb threat.