In-person classes suspended in Pampanga amid bomb threats

MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga — The city government suspended face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools on Monday following bomb threats circulated on social media.

“I ordered the suspension of face-to-face classes at all levels in public and private schools on Monday, July 27, 2026, and the implementation of alternative delivery modalities while a thorough security assessment is being conducted,” Mayor Gerald Guttrie Aquino announced through the official Facebook page of the Mabalacat City government on Sunday evening, July 26.

READ: 3 La Union campuses threatened online

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The mayor was referring to a Facebook account identified only by the alias “Anthony Policarpio,” who threatened on Saturday to bomb several elementary and high schools in the city between Aug. 26 and Sept. 5.

According to the posts, the threats were in retaliation for alleged discrimination in student admissions.

Aquino said he ordered the suspension after consulting with the Mabalacat City Police Station and the Department of Education’s Schools Division Office in the city.

He added that several school principals and barangay officials had also expressed concern over the safety and security of students.

The social media user threatened schools in the villages of Atlu Bola, Mamatitang, San Joaquin, Sta. Ines, Tabun, Camatchiles, and Mangalit.

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Meanwhile, in nearby Angeles City, three minors were taken to the barangay hall in Barangay Cutud on Saturday for allegedly making a social media video showing a masked person threatening to stab students of Cutud Elementary School.

During questioning, the minors told police officers and barangay officials that the video was merely their “trip,” slang for a prank or deliberately acting out.

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In a Facebook post, the Cutud Barangay Council said the minors would undergo intervention and counseling and perform community service as part of measures to help them understand the seriousness and consequences of their actions. /mcm