A military helicopter flies over a village in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 6, 2013) – Frantic parents rushed Wednesday to a school to fetch their children after receiving text messages alleging that a new fighting between security and rebel forces erupted in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.
The text scare disrupted classes in Talon-Talon village. School officials tried to calm down the children as parents panicked by the reports which turned out false.
The text message said the fighting broke out in the neighboring village of Mampang where an oxygen explosion earlier killed a worker.
One woman also rushed to the school to get her child and told the other about the fighting which triggered panic among other parents.
“The report is negative. There is no fighting and there is no truth to the report,” policeman PO2 Nurail Fajal told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
He said the only incident in Mampang was the accidental explosion of an oxygen cylinder which killed one worker. “That’s the only report we have in Mampang where one person was killed (in the oxygen cylinder blast),” he said.
Authorities have previously warned the public against spreading unverified text messages which can cause panic and fear. This after three weeks of fighting between troops and Moro National Liberation Front rebels in September left over 400 people dead and wounded. (Mindanao Examiner)
20