A 17-year-old Alternative Learning System (ALS) student allegedly chased two classmates with a balisong outside Carcar City Central School in Carcar City, Cebu, following an alleged bullying incident.
The incident caused alarm among residents after videos circulated on social media showing the student walking while carrying what witnesses identified as a balisong.
Witnesses said an altercation involving several students occurred before the incident.
A barangay watchman immediately intervened and confiscated the bladed weapon, preventing anyone from being injured.
Eduard Gabonada, the responding barangay watchman, said he heard people shouting and approached the teenager. After identifying himself as a barangay official, he took possession of the balisong.
The student’s mother, who was identified only as “Alias May,” said her son had been bullied before the incident.
According to her, the teenager had gone outside to buy snacks when two classmates, ages 18 and 19, allegedly kicked him. The student later admitted that he chased the two while carrying the balisong because he became angry.
The mother also said her son previously had a misunderstanding with one of the classmates last year while working at a poultry farm.
Police Lt. Col. Judith Besas, chief of the Carcar City Police Station, said the minor will undergo intervention by the Carcar City Social Welfare and Development Office while authorities continue investigating the involvement of the two older students.
Police also said the mayor of Carcar City has committed to providing metal detectors for schools in the city as part of efforts to strengthen campus security.
Meanwhile, the student’s mother appealed to the public to stop criticizing her son online as the investigation continues.
Authorities have not reported any injuries resulting from the incident.
