KABATAAN Partylist Rep. Renee Co condemned the rising number of bomb threats targeting schools across the Philippines.

Based on the group’s monitoring, at least 30 schools across 37 campuses have received such threats in recent months, with a spike during National Students’ Day in Iloilo, where 11 schools were simultaneously threatened.

“We argue that it is no coincidence that incidents have risen since the eruption of the flood-control corruption scandal and the resulting student-led protests,” Co said.

She added that the timing and proximity of the threats to anti-corruption protests, as well as the message accompanying the recent bomb threat in UP Manila—which red-tagged and terror-tagged the community—suggest an attempt to justify the supposed bombing.

“Patunay ito na nanghihikayat ng pahamak at terorismo ang red-tagging sa kapwa Pilipino. Though incidents vary, this trend is definitely political. Ito ay pananakot para di lumahok ang mas maraming kampus sa mga walkout kontra-kurakot,” Co said.

“Red flag na napapabayaan ito ng gobyerno. Wala pa ring napapanagot. Nasasagasaan na ang pag-aaral ng mga kabataan,” she added.

“Hindi dapat gamitin ito para lalong manghimasok ang pulis at militar sa kampus, lalo na’t sila rin naman ang pangunahing mga red-tagger at naglalagay sa mga estudyante sa panganib. Academic freedom and campus security are inseperable,” the lawmaker emphasized.

The solon stressed that it is high time to investigate bomb threats and bomb hoaxes particularly if those involved are state agents.

“Huwag tayo papatahimik kabataan. Ang kaligtasan ng mga kampus ay nasa ating paglaban din. Makibaka, huwag matakot,” Co stressed.