Metro Manila, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara has proposed the creation of a school safety task force to conduct site-specific security audits in public schools nationwide in light of the recent shooting that killed three students, the third in a series of violent incidents in the past three months.
He said this is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after the shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato.
The task force will assess school entry controls, threat reporting, emergency response, and coordination with local police to identify security gaps and recommend intervention.
It will involve the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Angara said the DepEd is coordinating with the police to determine how the firearm was obtained and brought into the school.
“Walang magulang ang dapat makaranas ng ganitong sakit, at walang bata ang dapat matakot na pumasok sa paaralan,” said Angara.
[Translation: No parent should have to experience this kind of pain, and no child should be afraid to go to school.}
The other fatal school shooting cases were in Tacloban and Zamboanga cities.
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said authorities are looking into the shooter’s internet activity, including his involvement in the “deep dark web.”
“The real issue here is the insidious use of the internet… Kung may depression sa atin dati, nalulungkot lang. Now, they go into depression, they read the internet, they go to the dark sites, then pumapasok sa utak nila,” Remulla said.
[Translation: The real issue here is the insidious use of the internet. Those who suffer from depression before, they would simply feel sad. Now they go into depression, they read the internet, they go to dark sites, then those things get into their minds.]
Remulla added that the tragedy should not be blamed on a single government agency.
“It is a tragedy which continues to happen, and we all must act together. It is no one’s fault. It is not the fault of Congress, it is not the fault of the PNP, it is not the fault of the LGU (local government unit),” he added.
