By uriel Quilinguing
FOR most people, their biggest fear is death.
Being fearful of death, however, is normal and such feeling is healthy because it makes a person to be more cautious. It also helps a person develop self-preservation instincts; it heightens his awareness of threats, regardless if these are real or imaginary.
On Monday, at about 12:18 pm, Dr. Pedro Estaño Jr., the head principal of the Misamis Oriental Comprehensive High School, stopped eating. He was anxiously fearful upon reading a text message from his phone that reads: “A bomb will explode inside the campus at 1 pm. Many students will die.”
Estaño must be having cold feet. It was not a choice of fight or flight.
Being the school’s highest official, he knew the fate of more than 8,000 junior and high school learners, their mentors and non-teaching personnel of them were in his hands if the text message is really true.
Checking the veracity of the threat may have escaped the school principal’s mind, thus he immediately directed all school department heads to send all students home. He also informed the security and utility personnel to make sure nobody is in the campus before 1 pm, supposedly the time of the explosion.
Estaño must have also relayed the “bomb threat” to Dr. Jonathan de la Peña, the schools’ division superintendent of Misamis Oriental, not only because the latter is his immediate supervisor but because just a meter separates his school and the schools’ division office, along Don Apolinar Velez Street.
De la Peña said he was on top of the situation, all along, and that suspension of classes was appropriate since the safety of students is of paramount consideration.
In hindsight, after the campus was combed by a team from Cagayan de Oro City Police Office’s explosive ordnance disposal unit and the incident was reported at Police Station (Cogon) 2, the school principal told Mindanao Gold Daily that he could not take the threat lightly.
Among those who reacted to the incident was the spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 10, Lt. Col. Mardy Hotillosa II, and this was what he said: “If we will find out kinsa ni sila [those behind the bomb joke], puwede kaayo namo sila file-lan og kaso they can be sued.”
Hortillosa said whoever sent the message violated Presidential Decree No. 1727 which clearly states such was unlawful and is, upon conviction, is punishable with five years of imprisonment and/or fine of P40,000.
He said he is hoping pranksters’ conscience would be disturbed since they cause unwanted fear and inconvenience to many.
On Monday, MediaKonek was on one’s fear of the unknown—on the dreaded novel coronavirus disease—and, incidentally, on that day, the Mogchs incident occurred and such was on fear of a non-existent explosive.
The article mentioned xenophobia, which is an irrational sensation of fear due to perceived strange situation and Dr. Estaño may have temporarily felt that since clearly he was not in his comfort zone.
Amid constant threats, one may develop that fear of death called thanatophobia which medical experts say could cause a panic attack, a condition when a person feels loss of control and intense fear of dying.
Admittedly, threats affect one’s emotional and mental well-being which the amygdala, a section in the temporal lobe of the brain, handles. Other than being responsible for human memory, awareness, and survival instincts, amygdale is also credited for one’s sexual activity and drive, hence this section of the brain plays a key role today.
(Uriel C. Quilinguing is a former president of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club who had been editor in chief of Cagayan de Oro-based newspapers, including this paper. For reactions, e-mail them to uriel.quilinguing@yahoo.com.)
