Wrong school, wrong province: Viral bomb threat that sparked panic not in Sta. Maria, Isabela but Bulacan

STA. MARIA, Isabela — Sta. Maria High School (SMHS) in Sta. Maria, Isabela has debunked a viral social media post linking the school to an alleged bomb threat, clarifying that the incident did not occur on its campus but at Sta. Maria National High School in Sta. Maria, Bulacan.

Confusion spread after a screenshot referring to "Sta. Maria National High School" circulated on social media earlier this month, prompting concern among students, parents, teachers, and residents. The original Facebook post has since become unavailable.

To address the misinformation, SMHS issued a public advisory on July 27 through its official Facebook page, emphasizing that the reported incident involved a different school in another province.

"Paglilinaw! Ang Sta. Maria High School ay nais pabulaanan at linawin ang kumakalat na screenshot. Ito po ay hindi tumutukoy sa aming eskwelahan. Ang nasabing insidente ay naganap sa Sta. Maria National High School sa Bulacan. Ang aming paaralan ay Sta. Maria High School (SMHS) at wala pong salitang 'National' sa aming pangalan," the school stated.

School officials said they immediately coordinated with the Sta. Maria Municipal Police Station to verify the information. Through cyber patrolling, police confirmed that the viral post originated from an incident involving Sta. Maria National High School in Bulacan.

In a separate statement, Sta. Maria National High School in Bulacan also urged the public to exercise caution before sharing information online, noting that many schools across the country have similar names.

"Maging Responsable sa Paggamit ng Social Media... Ang Sta. Maria National High School ay muling nagpapaalala sa lahat... ang pagpapakalat ng bomb threats, pagbabanta ng karahasan, o anumang uri ng maling impormasyon sa social media ay isang seryosong paglabag na maaaring magdulot ng matinding epekto sa kaligtasan ng ating paaralan at komunidad," the school said.

The viral post also prompted Sta. Maria National High School in Ilocos Sur to issue its own clarification through the official Facebook page of the Local Government Unit of Santa Maria, stressing that the reported bomb threat did not involve its campus.

The schools reiterated their commitment to maintaining a safe learning environment and reminded the public to verify the accuracy and source of information before sharing posts online, particularly those involving public safety.