ILOILO City – The Iloilo City government has stepped up its coordination with law enforcement agencies as a series of bomb threats continues to unsettle schools across the metro and nearby towns.
Mayor Raisa Treñas announced that she convened the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), including its Cybercrime Division, to craft stronger measures that will help authorities investigate the threats more swiftly and improve security protocols in learning institutions.
Treñas said the city is approaching the situation with urgency, pointing out that improved technological tools and faster information-sharing among agencies are essential in identifying the individuals behind the scare messages that have repeatedly disrupted classes.
In her translated statement, the mayor emphasized that the city is taking every threat seriously. She said better coordination will “speed up the investigation and help determine who is attempting to frighten our schools and our community,” noting that students and teachers have been the primary targets of these hoaxes.
She also appealed for public composure and cooperation, stressing that safeguarding the city’s children and residents remains the administration’s foremost concern.
The renewed security push follows another round of threats that forced evacuations and class suspensions in several campuses, including Iloilo National High School, West Visayas State University’s main and Calinog campuses, ISAT-U La Paz, and Hua Siong College of Iloilo. These incidents are part of a string of hoax threats that have repeatedly hit local schools since early October.
Authorities said additional precautions will be implemented in the coming days, including tighter monitoring around school grounds and expanded cyber investigations to trace the digital trail of the messages while determining whether the threats are connected./PN
