Students at Mangaldan National High School now undergo strict bag inspection at the gates following an incident where a Grade 8 student allegedly carried a balisong and attempted to extort money from a Grade 7 student.

School officials said police investigated the matter immediately.

“Totoo po ‘yun, noong nangyari ang incident nagkaroon agad ng imbestigasyon. During investigation andoon ang kapulisan natin. Sabi nila may balisong pero wala naman na tayong nakita at attempted lang siya since hindi raw natuloy ang extortion,” Assistant Principal Danilo Eden said.

He added that the parents of the students involved had already talked and settled the matter. Still, the school considered the case a cause for concern.

“Mayroon tayong direktiba from DILG na sinusunod and legal itong ginagawa natin. With all due respect, hindi na kinakailangan pa ng search warrant para i-check ang mga gamit ng mga bata,” Eden added.

The school, which has four gates, now has a security guard assigned at each entrance to ensure compliance with the new directive.

Police and local officials also joined a consultative meeting with the school to strengthen safety measures.

“’Yan ang trabaho natin. Rest assured na may mga naka-deploy na police sa mga eskwelahan,” PMaj. Ronald Bautista, Deputy Chief of Mangaldan Police Station, said.

Councilor Marlon Tibig, chair of the Committee on Peace and Order, added that more visible presence is important.

“Para maiwasan ang ganyang bagay, dapat may presence talaga ng police at tanod sa eskwelahan,” Tibig said.

The school reiterated that the incident was isolated but assured students and parents that tighter security will remain in place to prevent similar cases.