Did the PNP just foil another school shooting in Leyte?

Just days after the fatal school shooting in Tacloban City, an alleged threat came out of social media supposedly targeting another school in Leyte.

Authorities feared that the threat would emerge as a possible copycat of the June 22 shooting at the San Jose National High School, which left three students dead, and hurt several others.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla reported on Thursday, June 25, that police personnel “prevented” that threat. He said the investigation pointed to a 14-year-old student as the one behind it.

In a news conference, Remulla said that he got a tip from Senator Bam Aquino at 8 pm on Wednesday, June 24, that there was chatter in Tacloban regarding an “impending mass shooting” that would occur in Leyte. 

Aquino gave Remulla a name, which was investigated by the Philippine National Police (PNP). Police personnel retrieved a message, which was posted on Facebook. 

The secretary read a translation of the post, which was originally written in Waray: 

“Hello, send this to your friends. 

‘Yo from Tolosa. Prepare yourselves, especially you, as you owe me. Get ready, I will disrupt the school. You won’t know me but you will recognize me. There’s no time, no day. Be prepared for whoever gets shot or stabbed. We don’t care. Good luck to you at Tolosa Leyte National High School.’”

The threat validation and intelligence gathering led the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Eastern Visayas to a 14-year-old, who is a student of the school. Personnel arrived at around 11 pm and brought the minor to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for an interview.

Investigators found that the student created multiple Facebook accounts to share that content, which rapidly spread and alarmed students, parents, and the public. 

They confirmed the student’s identity through social media analysis and information from concerned individuals.

“However, the accounts and posts were deleted after engagement with [the minor], who was hesitant and uncooperative due to the fear of repercussions. Her parents, when approached by the Tolosa MPS (Municipal Police Station), refused to provide information about the incident,” Remulla said.

Among the possible motives behind the minor’s threat are personal and family issues. Remulla said the threat now appeared to be “neutralized and inactive.” There was no evidence of an organized plan and involvement of other individuals. The minor and her family do not have access to firearms.

“We’re still debriefing her to know what her real intent is,” Remulla said in a mix of English and Filipino.

But police said she may be influenced by the recent shooting at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City. Two students, aged 14 and 15, opened fire and killed three students and wounded 20 others. The older one is facing murder complaints.

What is happening here? Was there someone influencing both of the incidents? Is online extremism at play here? “The information I have is that they are avid fans of Gorebox,” Remulla told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino. 

When reporters clarified if this extended to the 14-year-old from Tolosa town, Remulla said: “I think so. I think so. All of them are avid fans of Gorebox.” It’s a sandbox game where users can play around with various weapons and explosives against blocky versions of other humans.

The 14-year-old minor tagged in the school shooting in Tacloban City had played that video game, according to initial police investigations. Since that information surfaced, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center temporarily blocked Gorebox.

Remulla said the minor in Tolosa “cannot be charged with anything” and has returned to her house. Still, he stressed, the threats she made cannot be treated as not serious.

“Any threat is considered live until it is neutralized,” he said.

Remullar appealed to the public to call 911 to report any alleged threat and said this would be immediately investigated.

“It will go a long way in stopping a repeat of what happened last Monday,” he said.

Now authorities are being challenged to really ensure the protection of children against school violence, especially against mass school shootings that, until recently, were unheard of in the country.

Remulla suggested strengthening laws on juvenile justice and gun ownership. The question is, are we really addressing all issues at hand? – Rappler.com