Fear Is Not A Prank

By: Maria Solita Zaldivar-Guzman

KALIBO. Aklan- A few months ago, bomb threats began circulating among schools in Western Visayas, all bearing almost identical text messages.

While these may be brushed off as jokes by an individual or a group—however and wherever they originated—the fear they instill in parents cannot be underestimated or invalidated Parents do everything they can to keep their children safe at home, and even more so when they step outside.

Whether children are beside them or away at school, that sense of responsibility never fades. Even if these bomb threats appear futile, even if circumstances suggest that nothing may actually happen because the messages are the same and seem intended only to cause unfounded terror, the fear remains real. Unfounded or not, the thought that something terrible could happen to one’s child is every parent’s nightmare.

So parents rush to schools, desperate to bring their children to safety. And yes, thankfully, nothing bad happens. But fear does not disappear as easily as the threat itself. No parent laughs in relief and assures themselves or their children that it would not have happened anyway, because the question lingers—what if it did?

These bomb threats are not jokes. They are not humorous. They are not harmless. And while we may expect that such threats could continue and reach more schools, someone must be held responsible.

Accountability matters.

We are grateful to law enforcers who are doing their best under difficult circumstances. But should those responsible be identified—whether adults or minors—appropriate penalties must be imposed.

Being young does not excuse instilling fear, disrupting education, or endangering lives. No one has the right to toy with a parent’s emotions.

No one has the right to place a child, or the teaching and non-teaching staff of any school, in fear and jeopardy. Threats like these must be taken seriously not only to punish wrongdoing, but to protect what matters most. Our children’s safety is not negotiable, and fear should never be the price parents pay for sending their children to school.