Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

An elderly woman picks her granddaughter up from school in Pasay City, 05 June 2017. Millions of students return to school today as they start the new schoolyear for 2017. George Calvelo

Article (news)

Queenie Casimiro

Allison Co

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/178712419207020170605-OpeningofSchool-GC-00001.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">An elderly woman picks her granddaughter up from school in Pasay City, 05 June 2017. Millions of students return to school today as they start the new schoolyear for 2017. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span>MANILA — Beyond adding security measures in schools, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said it is also important to regularly check in on students, get to know them, and ask how they are doing.</div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/8/19/school-shooting-psychiatrist-warns-of-copycat-risk-lists-possible-warning-signs-1155">School shooting: Psychiatrist warns of copycat risk, lists possible &#x27;warning signs&#x27;</a></div><p>Angara visited Ateneo de Zamboanga University high school campus on Wednesday to personally see where the shooting incident transpired on Tuesday, which killed two students.</p><p>&quot;Importante din na mag-reach out talaga ang komunidad, starting sa school, talagang makihalubilo tayo sa mga estudyante, kumustahin natin sila. Kasi ang silbi ng eskwelahan hindi lang para magturo kundi pangalawang tahanan. Sabi ng ating Pangulo, make sure kilala natin ang ating mga estudyante, yung teachers di lang magturo kundi nangungumusta din,&quot; he said.</p><p>On top of strengthening psychological and socio-emotional learning in school curriculum, Angara said the Department of Education is also looking into hiring more counselor associates and psychologists, but pointed to the lack of qualified guidance counselors as a challenge.</p><p>“We have a problem as you know as the headcount pointed out, the guidance counseling law or the professionalization of the guidance counseling profession is overly strict and it requires a master’s degree so hindi kami maka-hire for so long because there’s no supply and as you know they’re also recruited abroad.”</p><p>Angara said measures such as hiring of security guards, installation of surveillance cameras, metal detectors, and construction of higher fences are a great help but not actually a deterrent.</p><p>Angara said Ateneo has started to reach out to parents as part of their psychosocial support following Tuesday&#x27;s incident.</p><p>&quot;Kausap na nila mga magulang. Pero voluntary basis pa lang ngayon. Ang challenge lang is paano sila maabot lahat.&quot;</p><p>Angara meanwhile encouraged schools to conduct active shooter drills to create awareness among the students, faculty, and staff. Ateneo had a drill conducted last July 18 and another was scheduled for Sept 1.</p><p>Angara said there is a need for a multi-stakeholders effort to curb the threat possibly influencing the minds of young people.</p><p>&quot;May groomers tayo, may 764 network. Kailangan mag-usap usap talaga lahat... Minsan yun ang naglalason sa kaisipan ng kabataan, sino kausap nila online. Makita ng groomer na &#x27;Ah, galit ito, disenchanted youth ito, mapapagalit pa natin ito nang husto.&#x27;&quot;</p><p>He called on the parents to monitor their children&#x27;s activities online.</p><p>Aside from providing additional psychological support, Angara also said the government is considering measures to restrict minors’ access to social media.</p><p>“Ensuring that the children are supervised in all aspects, not just what they bring to school but also what enters their heads. That’s really the more powerful thing that we have to control. As you know, many countries have already banned social media for 16-year-olds, certain social media sites for youth under 16,” he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>COMMUNITY</strong></div><p>Psychiatrist Dr. Randy Dellosa meanwhile pointed out that the second school shooting incident in just two months affects the entire community, requiring a community-wide response.</p><p>“What happens is that parents become more hypervigilant, the teachers become scared of having to monitor everything and everyone, and the students themselves it’s very scary for them to think that the killer was one of their very own schoolmates… this is quite very alarming and it will raise the anxiety levels of everyone,” he said in an ANC interview on Wednesday.</p><p>Dellosa also highlighted that empathy for the victims should be the top priority in the wake of such tragedies.</p><p>“We need to emphasize that there are victims, this is not just ordinary a regular crime that we keep on hearing. There are victims and now the students themselves have experienced the impact of death.”</p><p>Similarly, Dellosa pointed to what he described as weak social media regulations for minors, which he said could contribute to worsening incidents.</p><p>“So it’s also unfair to blame parents, schools or other factors when social media platforms themselves do not abide their own community rules,” Dellosa said.</p><p>“I don’t want to be apocalyptic no, but things could only get worse because there is no regulation in social media, it’s very poor. I myself have reported many times the things I don’t like seeing in social media but they just get dismissed. In fact, I specifically tell them that it goes against their community rules and they tell me it doesn’t.”</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/o5UoPUqD3h0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></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/qooNKLNHegQ?&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/aafZ3TdxAms?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Beyond adding security measures in schools, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said it is also important to regularly check in on students, get to know them, and ask how they are doing.</p>

Beyond adding security measures in schools, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said it is also important to regularly check in on students, get to know them, and ask how they are doing.

Beyond school security: Angara urges communities to check in on students

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Beyond school security: Angara urges communities to check in on students

Queenie Casimiro,

Allison Co,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 19, 2026 03:30 PM PHT

|

Updated August 19, 2026 06:50 PM PHT

Read More:

adzu

zamboanga

active shooting

School shooting

Psychological support

Guidance counselors

DepEd

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