Last Monday, February 19, San Pedro City, Laguna became the latest in a string of cities and municipalities in the Philippines who reported bomb threats affecting their areas.
At least three public schools in the city received anonymous reports about a bomb allegedly being placed inside their premises, prompting them – and other schools in the city – to suspend classes early on.
A thorough inspection by authorities later disproved the existence of bombs inside the affected schools, but parents understandably were so worried that they flocked to the schools not only to pick up their children but also to verify the rumors that have spread on social media.
The fact that OpinYon Laguna’s own social media posting regarding these threats reached more than 200 shares is an indication of how parents and authorities nowadays take bomb threats seriously – and how false alarms like this serve to disrupt our day-to-day living.
Let’s face it: it’s very easy in these days of social media to spread unfounded rumors. All it takes is a fake account, a laughable profile picture, and a black conscience.
The massive “troll armies” that have unleased disinformation during the 2022 elections and are, apparently, now targeting private individuals and businesses, are proof that nowadays, you can no longer trust anybody on social media.
Heck, you can even post “anonymous” posts on Facebook groups nowadays, so it’s very difficult to trace who’s spreading malicious information.
Here is something we should all realize: spreading unfounded bomb threats is, in itself, a form of terrorism.
Wait a minute, we may ask, what do you mean by that?
According to author Dan Brown (of “The Da Vinci Code” and “Angels and Demons” fame), the root goal of terrorism is not to kill or destroy, but exactly that – to cause terror, fear, panic, among the populace.
Take, for instance, what happened immediately after the bomb threat was reported in three schools here in San Pedro City.
Classes were suspended in those three schools, which meant that teachers and students weren’t able to catch up on their tasks for that day. (Other private schools in the city also followed suit.) Parents, upon hearing of the threat, immediately dropped whatever they were doing and rushed to the schools in fear for their children’s safety.
Terrorism seeks to wreck not only human lives and properties but also to cause people to be so paralyzed with fear that they will be forced to stop the things that constitute the patterns of everyday life.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #UnCommonSense #ColumnByJamesVeloso