Jamaine Punzalan

Police gather at Ateneo de Zamboanga University following a shooting at the school in Zamboanga on August 18, 2026. Gabriel Vince Pallalos,  AFP

Article (news)

Karen De Guzman

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/178710574833820260818-school-shooting-ateneo-zamboanga-AFP-2 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Police gather at Ateneo de Zamboanga University following a shooting at the school in Zamboanga on August 18, 2026. Gabriel Vince Pallalos,  AFP </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered a crackdown on the spread online of videos and photos showing Tuesday’s deadly shooting at the <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/8/18/shooting-incident-reported-inside-zamboanga-city-school-0934">Ateneo de Zamboanga University</a>, as investigators looked into how a minor brought two firearms to the school.</p><p>PNP chief PGen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. directed the Anti-Cybercrime Group to coordinate with social media platforms to take down videos and photos related to the attack.</p><p>Nartatez said authorities want to prevent the further reposting and sharing of the sensitive material, particularly among minors.</p><p>“This is an unfortunate incident that should be treated with utmost sensitivity, especially that there were minors involved in the content. Let us all be compassionate over this tragedy and it starts by showing respect and becoming responsible netizens,” Nartatez said in a statement.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/8/18/what-we-know-so-far-about-the-ateneo-de-zamboanga-shooting-suspect-1214">What we know so far about the Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting suspect </a></div><p>He appealed to the public to stop sharing or reposting the videos and photos, warning that these could cause further distress to the victims, their families and the public, while potentially affecting the ongoing investigation.</p><p>The PNP-ACG and other concerned units have also been ordered to monitor and report the spread of sensitive content online.</p><p>But beyond the removal of the videos, police are digging deeper into how the attack happened.</p><p>Nartatez said one key part of the investigation is determining how the minor managed to bring two firearms into the school.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/18/gun-issued-to-customs-officer-used-in-ateneo-de-zamboanga-shooting-1606">Gun issued to Customs officer used in Ateneo de Zamboanga shooting</a></div><p>He stressed, however, that the probe would not stop at the gun attack itself.</p><p>“We have to dig deeper into this matter, especially that this is not the first time that this tragedy happened. Our focus is to check if there’s a pattern or identify intervention measures to prevent the repeat of this kind of incident,” Nartatez said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/18/ateneo-mourns-after-school-shooting-leaves-2-students-dead-no-one-would-want-this-to-happen-1620">Ateneo mourns after school shooting leaves 2 students dead: ‘No one would want this to happen’</a></div><p>Police teams were immediately deployed to the Ateneo de Zamboanga University following the shooting to conduct an investigation and establish a clear picture of what happened.</p><p>The PNP is also looking into responsible gun ownership, with Nartatez saying there is a need to strengthen measures against gun owners whose firearms become accessible to minors.</p><p>The investigation comes amid renewed scrutiny of firearm access following the attack, in which two students died, including the alleged shooter.</p><p>The PNP said it is also coordinating with the Department of Education on measures to strengthen security in schools and other learning spaces nationwide.  </p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/8/18/no-child-is-born-violent-psychologist-says-1908">No child is born violent, psychologist says</a></div><div><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/93ri0CRP0pg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div>

<p>The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered a crackdown on the spread online of videos and photos showing Tuesday’s deadly shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, as investigators looked into how a minor brought two firearms to the school.</p>

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered a crackdown on the spread online of videos and photos showing Tuesday’s deadly shooting at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, as investigators looked into how a minor brought two firearms to the school.

PNP orders takedown of school shooting videos, probes how minor got 2 guns inside school

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PNP orders takedown of school shooting videos, probes how minor got 2 guns inside school

Karen De Guzman,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 19, 2026 10:19 AM PHT

Read More:

PNP

police

cyber

school

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Ateneo de Zamboanga University

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