MURCIA, Negros Occidental — Philippine Army soldiers have tightened the security watch on the Central Philippine Adventist College (CPAC) in the town of Murcia, Negros Occidental following threats from New People’s Army (NPA) rebels to launch a surprise attack against the educational institution.

Col. Maximo Caro, Commanding Officer of the 303rd Infantry Brigade based in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia, said part of the security measure was the deployment of government troops to conduct checkpoints in the school vicinity to prevent the leftist rebels from carrying out any atrocity.

Caro said they were recently informed by CPAC President Dr. Fred Amada about the NPA threat, which he said, the school received through a letter sent early this week, allegedly from the rebels.

In the communication, the rebels sternly warned the school administration that they would abduct one of the school officials if their demands are not granted, although it was not made clear what such demands are.

According to Caro, the CPAC President said that the communication, purportedly from the NPA rebels also stated that they would attack at any given time. So far, however, the rebels have yet to make good on such threat, leading the school’s officials and faculty to wonder whether or not such warning from the NPA might be a hoax.

School officials and the CPAC faculty have made a decision to normalize school operations and hold classes even as they called the attention of the town’s police, asking the latter to investigate the matter.

CPAC authorities are now looking at the possibility that the letter might be the handiwork of a prankster out to disrupt the school’s function and activities.

Caro has come out with a statement that disgruntled elements might indeed, be only using the NPA as a ploy even as the prankster’s ulterior motive is to sow panic and disrupt school functions.

The letter, according to the military official, could come from a student with a grudge against some school officials, or possibly from an anti-administration employee or the like.

Still, Caro emphasized that he will not allow any security breach to happen since “it is the Philippine Army’s mandate to protect the people and safeguard democratic society at all cost.”