Philippines rethinks school safety after rare deadly shooting in Tacloban
A rare school shooting in Tacloban killed three students and pushed officials to add gun violence to emergency plans built around disasters.
Two schoolmates, ages 14 and 15, opened fire at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte, killing three students and injuring 20 others. The attack hit a public campus with close to 2,000 students in a country where school preparedness has long centered on earthquakes, typhoons and other natural disasters.
Police recovered at least 40 empty shells at the scene. The attackers used a 9mm Glock pistol and a .38-caliber revolver. One suspect was arrested immediately and the other later surrendered. Police official Allen Rae Co said the pistol had been issued to a police officer now under investigation, while the revolver was registered to a security agency based in Cebu City. Students panicked and ran instead of taking cover.
The three students who died were identified as Joyancee Separa, Chris Lorenz Fabian and Ayessa Nicole Dazo. Two of the injured were later in critical condition. Both suspects were turned over to social welfare authorities, and initial interviews indicated they had been bullied since seventh grade. Police linked the shooting to a grudge tied to school bullying, and investigators are still examining how the weapons were obtained.
Senior civil defense official Rafaelito Alejandro said schools will expand emergency planning to include crime-related violence. Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa planned to meet education and health officials to update emergency procedures and train teachers and students on what to do in a shooting. Education Secretary Sonny Angara ordered a review of learner protection mechanisms, while the Tacloban city government tightened curfew enforcement for minors and heightened security around the city. Malacañang announced PHP150,000 in assistance for each family of those killed.
The shooting came weeks after schools reopened following a months-long break. The Philippines’ firearms law, Republic Act No. 10591, enacted in 2013, aims to maintain peace and order and regulate firearms to curb the spread of illegal guns. The 2022 shooting at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City killed three people, including former Lamitan City mayor Rose Furigay. Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered an all-out investigation.
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