Department of Education (DepEd) 7 Director Arturo Bayocot clarified that Department Order 006, issued July 7, 2026, prohibits mobile phone use by students only during class hours, not a total ban.
Cebu City Police Office and Cebu Police Provincial Office officials have increased security presence, including deploying personnel to schools, following recent online threats targeting various educational institutions across the region.
Police investigations determined that recent online threats toward schools were isolated incidents driven by personal motives, and authorities have found no sufficient evidence linking video games to youth criminal behavior.
DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) 7 Director Arturo Bayocot reiterated that the DepEd does not impose a total ban on mobile phone use among learners, contrary to claims, in its issuance of Department Order (DO) 006, Series of 2026, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026.
Following recent shooting threats in schools, the DepEd has issued preventive measures such as the hiring of security personnel and the purchase of metal detectors to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
“It’s not just about mitigating because the schools should have preventive measures and we should follow them. We’re doing so much of that because of what happened,” Bayocot said.
DO 006, which outlines the Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment, prohibits the use of mobile phones by elementary and secondary school students during class hours.
“Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment does not declare a total ban on cellphones because we are already in the technology era,” Bayocot said.
Bayocot recognized the initiative taken by Dumanjug Mayor Efren “Gungun” Gica on the proposed cellphone ban policy to address incidents of violence in schools.
“It’s a good idea to think that there should no longer be cellphones. I know that the mayor’s objective is really to ensure safety and security,” he added.
Bayocot said that the DepEd does not impose or dictate to provinces what to do but rather empowers them to implement measures that best suit their respective learning environments. However, he said that the local government unit’s (LGU) policy should complement the national policy and align with DO 006.
Bayocot recognized that a cellphone ban policy would place the burden of enforcing the regulation on teachers.
He also acknowledged that mobile phones are now widely used as learning tools in classrooms.
Bayocot added that banning phones prohibits communication between children and their parents during emergencies.
Tightened security
Meanwhile, officials from the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) and the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) convened during the Open Line Media Forum at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel on Tuesday to discuss the security measures being implemented in schools following the series of online threats targeting schools in Cebu.
Lt. Col. Franco Rodulf Oriol, CCPO deputy director for administration, said the CCPO had already prepared and deployed security personnel to schools even before the shooting incident in Tacloban.
Oriol said these efforts are part of the police’s annual Oplan Balik Eskwela, which focuses on ensuring school safety and security before the opening of classes.
He added that the CCPO is prepared to provide security coverage to all 287 public and private schools in Cebu City.
Oriol said that despite the series of security threats the past weeks, investigations have shown that these were isolated cases driven by personal motives.
The latest online threat involving a 13-year-old from the Inayawan Elementary School was reported on Friday, July 3. The investigation was conducted in the presence of the child’s parents, barangay officials and school administrators.
According to Oriol, the minor admitted that the threat stemmed from frustration and immaturity. The minor was turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Services and the Gender and Development focal person assigned to Inayawan.
Marvin Fegarido, head of the CCPO Community Relations Section, said the police have been working closely with Parets-Teachers Associations (PTAs) to strengthen awareness of parental responsibilities.
For Cebu Province, Lt. Jose Rovic Villarin, CPPO deputy provincial director for operations, said the province has a total of 1,567 schools, including elementary schools, high schools and colleges. Of these, 1,357 are public schools, while 210 are privately operated.
According to Villarin, an inventory conducted by the CPPO showed that schools currently employ about 490 security guards. The CPPO also has 915 force multipliers and 861 police personnel available for deployment.
He added that all police stations have been directed to intensify security operations, increase police visibility and ensure officers reach even the most remote communities instead of remaining inside their stations.
When asked whether banning cellphones in schools would help improve campus safety, Villarin said regulation would be more practical than a complete prohibition.
Responding to questions on whether violent online games contribute to youth crime, Oriol said the police have not found sufficient evidence establishing a direct connection between video games and criminal behavior based on their investigations. / Mi Kizziah Reeve Tantog and Jinelle Rhea Simbajon, UP Cebu Interns
