Pampanga First District Rep. Carmelo Lazatin Jr. is urging authorities to file appropriate charges against three minors allegedly behind online threats targeting a school in this city.
In a statement on Monday, Lazatin said making grave threats is a criminal offense under the Revised Penal Code.
‘Counseling the suspects is not sufficient after their actions generated panic, public disruption, and insecurity in the communities,’ Lazatin said in a statement addressed in Filipino.
‘I will be writing the Philippine National Police to urge them to file appropriate charges also for people or groups that induced these minors.’
On July 25, three juvenile suspects were brought to the Cutud barangay hall after authorities identified them as the individuals behind a social media video showing a masked person threatening to stab students of Cutud Elementary School.
During questioning by police officers and barangay officials, the minors said the video was merely ‘tripping’ (doing a practical joke)
In a Facebook post, the Cutud Barangay Council said the minors would undergo intervention and counseling and perform community service to help them understand the seriousness and consequences of their actions.
But Lazatin cited the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, which provides that children above 15 but below 18 years old are exempt from criminal liability and are instead subject to an intervention program, unless they acted with discernment. In such cases, they may face appropriate legal proceedings.
He noted that Supreme Court guidelines define ‘discernment’ as a child’s capacity at the time of committing an offense to understand the difference between right and wrong and the consequences of the wrongful act.
According to Lazatin, determining whether a minor acted with discernment is initially the responsibility of a social worker and is ultimately decided by the court.
The lawmaker also appealed to parents, guardians, teachers, and community members to closely monitor children and educate them that making violent threats is not a joke but a criminal offense.
Meanwhile, the Mabalacat City Police Station announced on Monday that it had identified and located two minors allegedly behind a separate bomb threat that circulated on social media.
On July 25, a Facebook user identified only by the alias ‘Anthony Policarpio’ posted threats to bomb several elementary and high schools in Mabalacat City between Aug. 26 and Sept. 5.
The post claimed the threats were retaliation for alleged discrimination in student admissions.
‘The Mabalacat City Police Station further informs the public that the two minors allegedly involved in the circulating video have already been identified and located by this office. Appropriate procedures are being undertaken in coordination with concerned authorities to ensure that their rights, welfare, and protection as minors are properly observed in accordance with existing laws,’ the police said in a Facebook post.
The Mabalacat City government suspended classes at all levels on Monday following the bomb threats against schools in Barangays Atlu Bola, Mamatitang, San Joaquin, Sta. Ines, Tabun, Camatchiles, and Mangalit.
Lt. Col. Jose Charlmal Gundaya, acting chief of the Mabalacat City police, said authorities coordinated with the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit 3 at Camp Capt. Julian Olivas in the City of San Fernando to identify and verify the source of the online post, including the account and digital information involved.
This, along with other investigative and intelligence activities, led to the identification of the suspected perpetrators of the online bombing threat.
Police have not disclosed the identities of the two minors or the motive behind their action that caused concerns among parents, students, and school personnel of the schools mentioned in the bomb threat posts.