A classroom role-playing activity triggered panic among students at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City on the morning of Friday, July 24, after loud shouting was mistaken for another shooting incident.
Students cried and ran across the campus after hearing loud screams coming from a classroom where senior high school students were conducting a role-playing activity.
In an interview with Brigada News Tacloban, school principal Liezel Pulga said the activity caused participants to shout and react loudly as part of the classroom exercise.
Students outside the classroom reportedly heard the commotion and mistakenly believed an emergency was unfolding. Some also thought they heard what sounded like gunfire.
The misunderstanding quickly spread, prompting students to flee the area.
During the panic, several students sustained injuries while others fainted, according to school officials.
Responding authorities later clarified that no shooting or explosion had occurred on the campus.
School administrators and authorities said the situation was immediately brought under control, and normal activities later resumed.
Pulga assured the public that the school continues to implement stricter security measures and is coordinating with authorities to maintain campus safety.
Authorities emphasized that Friday’s incident was a false alarm caused by a misunderstanding during the classroom activity. They also urged the public not to spread unverified information about the incident.
The panic occurred at the same school where a shooting incident in June claimed the lives of three students. School officials said the previous attack contributed to heightened concern among students and staff, prompting many to flee after hearing the loud shouting during the classroom activity.
