Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

THUMBNAIL-CRIME

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782185516053Crime-gun-4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Several lawmakers on Tuesday called for stronger policies on school safety following a school shooting in Tacloban, Leyte that killed at least three students, as they highlighted that &quot;schools must be places of learning, growth, and safety—not scenes of violence.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/23/deped-calls-tacloban-shooting-cavite-stabbing-isolated-cases-but-orders-security-review-1108">DepEd calls Tacloban shooting, Cavite stabbing ‘isolated cases’, but orders security review</a></div><p>&quot;Ang paaralan ay hindi dapat lugar ng takot at karahasan. Schools are safe spaces at dapat manatili silang ligtas na lugar upang makapag-aral ang ating mga estudyante nang malaya at walang pangamba... Bilang Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, gagawin natin ang lahat para hindi na maulit kailanman ang school shooting sa ating bansa,&quot; Sen. Risa Hontiveros said.</p><p>Sen. Erwin Tulfo meanwhile urged better implementation of the Anti-Bullying Act, a law passed in 2013 that mandates all public and private elementary and secondary schools to adopt policies that address and prevent bullying.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/6/23/deped-tacloban-school-shooting-suspects-entered-through-fence-not-main-gate-1050">DepEd: Tacloban school shooting suspects entered through fence, not main gate</a></div><p>&quot;Ilang buhay pa ang dapat na mawala bago tayo magising sa katotohanan na malamya ang implementasyon ng mga anti-bullying laws sa bansa?  Huwag po nating hayaan na mahanay ang ating bansa sa mga lugar na normal na ang mass shooting at bullying sa mga eskwelahan,&quot; Tulfo said.</p><p>Sen. Pia Cayetano is also calling for a &quot;whole-of-society&quot; approach to determine what pushed students to commit acts of violence, citing the series of incidents in the past weeks.</p><p>&quot;In the span of one week, we have witnessed deeply disturbing incidents in Tacloban City and Cavite that have left lives lost, students injured, and entire communities traumatized,&quot; she said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/21/schools-urged-to-intensify-psychosocial-support-for-students-after-school-stabbing-incident-0913">Schools urged to intensify psychosocial support for students after classroom stabbing spree</a></div><p>&quot;Authorities must conduct a thorough investigation to determine the conditions that led these students to commit such violent acts against their fellow students... There is a need to immediately review and strengthen school safety measures, expand access to guidance and mental health services, ensure adequate counseling support, and provide sustained assistance to affected families and communities,&quot; Cayetano added.</p><p>Meanwhile, House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III gave assurances the lower chamber is ready to support such proposed measures, as well as efforts to establish the facts of the incident, and ensure accountability.</p><p>“The House supports efforts to establish the facts, ensure accountability under the law, and determine what measures may be necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Dy said.</p><p>He said the House of Representatives joins the nation in mourning the students who lost their lives in the tragic incident.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/6/23/angara-deped-execs-arrive-in-tacloban-a-day-after-deadly-school-shooting-0940">Angara, DepEd execs arrive in Tacloban a day after deadly school shooting</a></div><p>“Any act of violence that claims the lives of young people and disrupts the safety of our schools is a matter of grave concern. Schools must remain places of learning, security and opportunity for every Filipino child,” he added.</p><p>As of last report, three teenagers were killed while 20 others were injured when two students opened fire at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte on Monday morning.</p><p>The alleged shooters, aged 15 and 14, had fired &quot;randomly&quot; inside San Jose National High School, a police official said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/6/22/alleged-school-shooting-reported-in-tacloban-1034">3 dead, 13 injured in school shooting in Tacloban</a></div><p>Authorities also said one male student, a 15 year old, remains in critical condition due to his severe injuries.</p><p>Malacañang has called for a thorough investigation into the shooting incident.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wuN2YJvAh-8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yjZ5Ker9QSk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The lawmakers highlighted that "schools must be places of learning, growth, and safety—not scenes of violence."</p>

The lawmakers highlighted that "schools must be places of learning, growth, and safety—not scenes of violence."

Lawmakers call for stronger policies on school safety following Tacloban school shooting

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Lawmakers call for stronger policies on school safety following Tacloban school shooting

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 23, 2026 11:39 AM PHT

Read More:

House of Representatives

tacloban

senate

house of representatives

school shooting

safety

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