SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Learn more.

Date of Incident: October 03, 2025

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):Laguna State Polytechnic University

Region & Country:Southeastern Asia | Philippines

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On October 3, 2025, Laguna State Polytechnic University received a bomb threat, prompting the university to suspend classes and temporarily restrict access to campus.

A man claiming to be a member of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, delivered the threat on Facebook. The police inspected the campus and declared it safe later that day.

This incident was one in a series of bomb threats targeting universities across the Philippines from August to December 2025. The threats coincided with student-led anti-corruption protests and appeared to be intended to chill free expression.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about threats aimed at intimidating the high education community and disrupting classes and campus life. Such actions undermine academic freedom and university autonomy. State and university authorities should take reasonable steps to respond to and prevent such attacks, including by investigating and holding perpetrators accountable.

Sources:
https://mb.com.ph/2025/10/03/bomb-threat-rocks-laguna-state-polytechnic-u-campus
https://phkule.org/article/1784/at-least-17-univ-campuses-receive-bomb-threats-in-october