In consolacion and Talisay City: Shooting scare disrupts schools

CEBU, Philippines — Heightened security measures were implemented in Consolacion and Talisay City on Monday, August 3, after “shooting threat” targeting students circulated on social media.

Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado was forced to declare a suspension of face-to-face classes in at least eight public elementary and high schools. Talisay City Mayor Samsam Gullas also reinforced campus security as police verified the reported threats.

The precautionary measures came after screenshots warning of an alleged school shooting between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. spread widely online, eventually reaching several areas, including neighboring Liloan.

Alegado said the municipal government treated the threat seriously despite initial doubts about their authenticity.

Acting on requests from school heads, the municipality suspended in-person classes in schools identified in the online messages to allow authorities to investigate the matter without compromising student safety.

The affected schools were Consolacion National High School, San Narciso School, Tayud National High School, Tayud Elementary School, Tolotolo National High School, Tolotolo Elementary School, Tugbongan National High School and Tugbongan Elementary School.

Students in the affected schools shifted to modular or other alternative learning modalities while authorities carried out their investigation.

Alegado said the suspension was initiated by school administrators themselves as they assessed the situation on the ground.

"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," she said.

The mayor said she first learned of the circulating screenshots on Sunday night after receiving forwarded messages through her mobile phone and Messenger.

She admitted she initially considered ignoring the posts because similar online scares have become common. However, she said the municipality could not afford to dismiss the matter outright.

"Akong hunahuna dili ni tagaan og pagtagad kay mao naman ni uso... But secondly, let us not also take this for granted," Alegado said.

She immediately contacted Consolacion police chief Lt. Col. John Kareen Escober and school officials to verify the information.

According to the mayor, school authorities informed her that several students had been reprimanded the previous week over cellphone-related incidents, raising the possibility that the circulating message was an act of retaliation.

Alegado said the screenshots were initially traced to a student from a private elementary school in Barangay Casili.

She personally contacted the school's principal, who confirmed that one of their students had received the message.

The student, however, denied creating the post and told school authorities that the screenshot had simply been forwarded before being shared further.

"Ni-deny ang bata nga dili to iya. It was also forwarded to her unya iya ra'ng gi-share. It's sad because it really spread to the extent nga naabot pa gani sa Liloan," she said.

Police later informed the mayor that initial tracing yielded no indication of an immediate threat.

Even so, she directed law enforcement authorities to increase police visibility in schools.

In an emergency statement issued around 2 a.m. Monday, the Consolacion municipal government said it was treating the circulating information "with utmost gravity" regardless of its origin or intent.

The LGU ordered heightened security protocols in all schools, including stricter access controls, while the Consolacion Municipal Police Station deployed additional police officers and SWAT personnel to inspect and secure school campuses.

A joint investigation involving local police and cybercrime personnel was also launched to identify those responsible for circulating the threat.

By Monday afternoon, the municipal government announced that regular classes in all previously affected schools would resume today after authorities found no immediate physical danger to students or school personnel.

Police also established the initial chain of dissemination of the screenshots after interviewing students, parents and school representatives from San Narciso School and Consolacion National High School.

Investigators identified a TikTok account using the display name "Charlie Kirk" as the apparent source of the message sent to a local student, although authorities have yet to establish the real identity of the account owner.

The Consolacion Police Station is coordinating with the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group to conduct a digital forensic investigation, including efforts to trace the account's IP address and identify the individual behind it.

Alegado said the municipality would also study possible local measures to address similar incidents in the future.

"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.

Talisay maintains classes

Meanwhile, Talisay City kept classes ongoing while reinforcing security in schools as police continued verifying whether the online posts actually referred to educational institutions within the city.

Mayor Gerald Anthony "Samsam" Gullas said the circulating messages mentioned only school acronyms and did not specifically identify schools by their complete names.

He added that local police confirmed similar reports had surfaced in schools both within and outside Cebu.

Despite the absence of a verified threat, Gullas said the city immediately activated its school safety protocols by deploying police officers to inspect schools, increase police visibility and strengthen campus security.

One school in Talisay suspended classes as a precaution, a decision the mayor said he respected, although the city found no basis to impose a citywide suspension.

"After consultation with our police authorities and concerned agencies, the City Government will not impose a citywide suspension of classes at this time, as there is currently no verified information indicating a specific or credible threat directed at all schools in Talisay City," Gullas said.

The mayor urged the public to remain calm, refrain from spreading unverified information on social media, and immediately report suspicious activities to authorities, stressing that the safety of students, teachers and school personnel remains the city's highest priority.

This was the second such incident involving Talisay schools this year. On July 6, 2026, classes at Talisay City Elementary School and Talisay City National High School were also suspended following a separate social media threat. — (FREEMAN)