Jonathan Frederic De Santos

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

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ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787588574361AFP__20260818__C4WH8WG__v1__MidRes__PhilippinesSchoolShooting.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Police gather at Ateneo de Zamboanga University following a shooting at the school in Zamboanga on August 18, 2026. Gabriel Vince Pallalos, AFP"/>Police gather at Ateneo de Zamboanga University following a shooting at the school in Zamboanga on August 18, 2026. Gabriel Vince Pallalos, AFP</div>MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — House members on Monday said keeping students safe goes beyond increased security measures against violence on campus.In speeches on the House floor, Zamboanga City 1st District Rep. Katrina Chua-Tai and Parañaque City 2nd District Rep. Brian Yamsuan called for stronger measures against school violence.Chua-Tai is calling for a comprehensive review a week after a shooting at Ateneo de Zamboanga left two students dead.<div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/24/deped-postpones-nationwide-live-shooter-drills-0917">DepEd postpones nationwide &#x27;live-shooter&#x27; drills: &#x27;Nakikinig kami sa mga eksperto&#x27; </a></div>“We already have laws. We already have regulating firearms laws. We already have laws against bullying. We already have laws protecting mental health. We have policies on children protection and school safety,&quot; she said.&quot;But the question is not simply whether laws exist. The question is where they work. Because a law that exists only on paper cannot protect a child.”Chua-Tai also emphasized that school safety cannot be reduced to physical security measures.“School safety is not about gates, guards, cameras, or metal detectors. It is also about the child who suffers in silence. It is about the student facing bullying,&quot; she added.She said schools must be able to identify warning signs and give students safe avenues to report threats, bullying, harassment or intimidation before these escalate into violence.Yamsuan meanwhile sounded the alarm on bullying, citing data from the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment that showed that one in three Filipino students experience bullying at least once a week.&quot;Hindi lamang po ito mga statistics (These are not just statistics). These are warning signs. And they have been flashing red for a long time now.”<div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/8/23/ateneo-de-zamboanga-to-implement-car-inspections-put-up-more-cameras-after-shooting-0800">Ateneo de Zamboanga to implement car inspections, put up more cameras after shooting </a></div>He said incidents of school violence can be linked to poor values formation, lack of interventions for mental health challenges, and institutional failures to act early.Yamsuan also highlighted a lack of school counselors, especially in public schools.He said there are only 1,131 counselors in the public school system, with 4,489 posts for them still vacant.<div> </div><div>&#x27;PARENT COUNCIL&#x27;</div>Quezon City 5th District Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas has meanwhile filed a bill to create a National Parent Council to advise the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Education.Parents&#x27; representatives will also have mandatory seats on education committees on the local government level and in schools under the bill.He said the measure aims to make parents &quot;active partners&quot; in the education system.Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co, meanwhile, criticized what she described as a government response increasingly centered on security measures, including active-shooter drills, metal detectors, bag searches, and proposals for greater police presence in schools.Co cited a Department of Education nationwide safety audit covering 48,000 public schools, which she said found that only about 17,000, or 36%, had basic safety measures such as closed-circuit television cameras and dedicated safety personnel. She questioned the push for more expensive security measures when many public schools still lack basic safety infrastructure and adequate funding for permanent security personnel.There have been two school shootings in the Philippine this year, prompting upgrades to school security as well as discussion on lowering the age that minors can be charged and sent to prison. Violence in schools has also led to discussion on the need for more accessible mental health services and better funding for interventions for Children in Conflict with the Law. — Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News<div><a class="fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/8/19/pnp-records-50-school-related-incidents-involving-cicls-since-june-1600">PNP records 50 school-related incidents involving CICLs since June</a></div>

House members on Monday said keeping students safe goes beyond increased security measures against violence on campus.

House members on Monday said keeping students safe goes beyond increased security measures against violence on campus.

Student safety requires more than tighter security, House members say

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Student safety requires more than tighter security, House members say

ABS-CBN News

Published August 24, 2026 06:55 PM PHT

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Updated August 25, 2026 12:31 AM PHT

Read More:

School safety

Katrina Chua-Tai

Brian Yamsuan

gun violence

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