By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
On the heels of a spate of school-based violence reported in Luzon and Mindanao over the past week, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directed concerned government agencies to look into this pressing issue, noting the repercussions of such incidents on the welfare of students in educational institutions.
In a press briefing on Thursday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Palace Press Officer and Undersecretary Claire Castro announced the President’s mandate on the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to scrutinize this alarming development.
Castro told reporters, noting that the the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has also been tapped to aid in evaluating the implementation of child protection policies in schools, “Kailangan po talagang maimbestigahan ito, lalo po’t may mga menor de edad na nasasangkot po dito at nagiging issue na talaga ‘yong mental health sa mga kabataan.”
On August 7, a shooting incident happened inside a classroom in Nueva Ecija, where a 15-year-old female student was shot by her ex-boyfriend, who then took his own life. The victim initially fell into a coma and later died from her injuries. In another incident on August 4, a teacher at Balabagan Trade School in Lanao del Sur was allegedly shot and killed by a Grade 11 student, who was reportedly upset over failing grades.
And recently, on August 10, a 9-year-old Grade 3 student from Maria Cristina Falls Elementary School was allegedly mauled by five high school students. The victim, who sustained serious injuries and was confined in the Intensive Care Unit, has reportedly awakened from a coma.
The Palace press briefer reassured the masses, “Hindi po ito tutulugan at aaksyunan po ito ng mga concerned agencies, agad-agad din po.”
Meanwhile, in further response to the incidents, Education Secretary Sonny Angara issued a memorandum on August 8, instructing all schools to tighten security measures. The directive includes mandatory bag inspections, increased visibility of security personnel, and stricter control of school entry and exit points.
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