Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, continues to grapple with a persistent series of bomb threats that have disrupted classes, triggered evacuations, and forced repeated emergency responses for more than a year. Beginning in November 2024 and intensifying throughout November 2025, the threats have compelled the university to activate emergency protocols multiple times despite no explosive device ever being found.

The earliest threats targeted specific colleges, including the College of Health Sciences, followed by similar warnings against the Colleges of Business, Agriculture, Engineering, Teacher Education, and Industrial Technology. By mid-2025, the threats escalated, with one message claiming that timed explosives had been planted across all academic and administrative buildings. Another threat early this November invoked the New People’s Army, alleging an imminent attack on the College of Industrial Technology. A new series of threats on several dates in November 2025 again forced students and faculty into heightened alert.

Each incident has pushed MMSU into full emergency posture—prompting class suspensions, building evacuations, shifts to online learning, and the mobilization of police, explosive ordnance disposal teams, K9 units, firefighters, and cybercrime specialists. The repeated operations have placed immense strain on government resources, drawing frontline responders away from regular duties to conduct building sweeps, secure perimeters, and trace digital footprints.

In a press conference on Monday, 24 November 2025, the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office (INPPO) said the bomb threats follow a clear pattern aligned with academic schedules. According to Police Lt. Col. Ryan Retotar, many threats were sent while students were in class or taking examinations, suggesting a deliberate intention to disrupt campus activities rather than pursue political or ideological motives.

The INPPO emphasized that the threats are not linked to destabilization plots or political events, noting that investigators have found no indicators suggesting motivations beyond interference with academic activities.

To counter the ongoing wave of threats, MMSU organized a cybersecurity task group in coordination with national agencies. While perpetrators used anonymized accounts and VPN tools to obscure their identities, authorities say they have not been entirely successful.

A security insider involved in the investigation told Daily Tribune that digital breadcrumbs have already begun pointing toward specific individuals.

“Nagiging relax sila kasi akala nila fully masked yung digital footprint nila,” the source said. (“They are becoming relaxed because they think their digital footprint is fully masked.”)

“Pero may naiwan silang bakas. Yung 2024 incidents, may lead na kami. May person of interest na because of extensive interagency cooperation.” (“But they left traces. For the 2024 incidents, we already have a lead. There is a person of interest because of extensive interagency cooperation.”)

Investigators are also evaluating psychological profiles commonly associated with individuals who issue hoax bomb threats—ranging from attention-seeking impulses and emotional grievances to thrill-seeking behavior and a belief that the act has no real consequences. Whether these align with emerging suspects remains under assessment.

Coordination has intensified. MMSU and multiple government agencies—including the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and local government units—held a high-level meeting on 21 November 2025 to unify investigative strategies, strengthen digital forensics, and reinforce campus security. The PNP confirmed that two persons of interest connected to the November 2024 incident are under validation, with charges expected after cross-agency verification.

MMSU President Dr. Virgilio Julius P. Manzano Jr. condemned the continuing threats, asserting that such actions have no place in an educational institution. He commended the swift response of government partners and reiterated that the university will not be intimidated. CHED Chairperson Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, noting similar incidents nationwide, called on all higher education institutions to heighten vigilance.

While all MMSU threats so far have been hoaxes, their impact has been profound—fueling anxiety, disrupting academic routines, and consuming substantial public resources. Yet for investigators, the repeated attempts only strengthen their resolve. With digital clues mounting and interagency coordination accelerating, authorities maintain that it is only a matter of time before those behind the threats are fully identified and prosecuted.