President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a thorough investigation into the deadly shooting at Banga National High School in South Cotabato, including how a minor was able to get a gun inside the campus.
Marcos Jr. said school shootings should never become part of Filipino children’s lives as he condoled with the families of those killed and assured the injured of government assistance.
“Hindi natin maaaring tanggapin na maging bahagi na lamang ng buhay ng ating mga anak ang mga pamamaril sa paaralan. Karapatan ng ating mga anak na makapag-aral nang walang takot. Karapatan ng mga magulang na maipadala sila sa paaralan nang alam na uuwi silang ligtas. Ito ang pananagutan natin sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino,” the President said.
Marcos Jr. also directed the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Philippine National Police (PNP) to report on the measures they have taken following previous school shooting incidents.
“Muli tayong nahaharap sa isang trahedyang hindi dapat danasin ng sinumang magulang, paaralan, o komunidad. Nakikiramay ako sa mga pamilyang nawalan ng mahal sa buhay sa pamamaril sa Banga National High School sa South Cotabato. Tinitiyak nating natatanggap ng mga nasugatan ang kailangan nilang gamutan at tulong,” he said.
The President said the Banga shooting was the third fatal school shooting in the country in three months, following incidents in Tacloban and Zamboanga.
Additional measures would be announced in the coming days to address gaps in school security and protect students, according to him.
The government has confirmed that the Banga shooting left three people dead, including the gunman, while several students were injured. Authorities are also investigating how the firearm, reportedly owned by a DepEd employee, was accessed.IMT
